Hong Kong Arrests Pro-Democracy Pop Singer For Sedition

Hong Kong police announced Tuesday they had arrested a 41-year-old man, identified by local media as singer Tommy Yuen, for suspected sedition and money laundering, Reuters reported.

Yuen was taken into custody for public comments and online posts that authorities accused of having “seditious intent,” Reuters reported.

“He hoped to incite hatred towards the Hong Kong government … and to stoke discontent among the Hong Kong public,” senior superintendent Steve Li told reporters, Reuters reported. Another man was arrested alongside Yuen in connection to money laundering.

Li refused to confirm whether the person taken into custody was Yuen but said the suspect performed a song broadcast live online with the words “Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution of our Time,” a popular slogan during the city’s 2019 pro-democracy protests, Reuters reported. Li said the slogan was capable of inciting acts of secession in court.

Yuen’s pro-democracy stance is well-known throughout Hong Kong, and he has advocated for democratic causes during live concerts and protest marches, Reuters reported. Yuen’s Facebook page reportedly features the words “We Die for Fight.”

The national security law punishing acts of subversion, terrorism, collusion with foreign forces and secession with possible life imprisonment was imposed by China in 2020, Reuters reported. Hong Kong and Chinese authorities claim the law brought stability to the city after massive anti-government protests.

Denise Ho, a fellow Hong Kong pop star, was detained in December 2021 in a separate national security case, Reuters reported. Ho was reportedly released on bail pending further investigations.