Demosisto members detained and interrogated on mainland by State Security
China security staff ‘threatened local pro-democracy activists’
Demosisto’s Joshua Wong Chi-fung (left) reveals the details at yesterday’s press conference.Members of Demosisto were detained and questioned during routine trips to the mainland, according to new information released by the pro-democracy group.
According to documents released before yesterday's press conference, two members of the group were detained at border control on two separate occasions, once in Shenzhen in March this year, and once in Guangzhou earlier this month.
The documents allege that the members, who the group has not named citing fears for their safety, were interrogated by members of the Ministry of State Security at a Shenzhen police station, and at a Guangzhou hotel.
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The member detained in Shenzhen said that the security staff asked them to write down a list of members’ and staff names, as well as those who were present at last year’s October 1 protest. The Demosisto member also alleged the security staff threatened their safety in Hong Kong, if any of the information was found to be inaccurate. They were then made to sign a declaration form, stating they would not reveal the contents of the interrogation online, as well as provide a fingerprint for verification. The interrogation lasted for three hours.
The member detained in Guangzhou was asked about their views on Tibetan independence, as well as Demosisto membership and participation in the October 1 protest. The member was then asked to sign an apology letter, and was offered incentives to continue providing information once they returned to Hong Kong. This member has since left the organisation, citing concerns for their personal safety.
Demosisto has called upon the Hong Kong government to proactively protect Hong Kong citizens’ safety on the mainland, and is seeking clarification from Hong Kong’s Security Bureau as to whether they had prior knowledge of the detention, and whether it provided any help to China’s Ministry of State Security.