China’s crackdown on Hong Kong democracy now includes targeting families

In their quest to destroy any whisper of democracy, ruthless Chinese Communist Party puppets are now targeting the families of Hong Kong’s dissidents.

Hong Kong officials issued unprecedented bounties of up to HK $1 million for information leading to the activists’ arrest, The Wall Street Journal reports, in search of eight pro-democracy dissidents living outside Hong Kong.

Officials are actively hunting down the activists’ families and friends and treating them as suspects of national security crimes.

The brother, sister-in-law and nephew of Christopher Mung, a UK-based trade unionist, for instance, were taken for extensive questioning.

The brother of Dennis Kwok, a former legislator, was also interrogated along with three other unknown persons.

The family home of Nathan Law, a former lawmaker, was raided with his parents and brother taken for questioning.

China has now fully reneged on its 1997 promise to grant 50 years of freedom to capitalist Hong Kong and instead embarked on an ugly war against any who oppose its dictatorial rule.

This shift began in earnest with the sweeping national-security law enacted in 2020, which banned any dissent in the territory.

Hundreds of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy advocates have been arrested since.

And the inquisitions and raids against family members are not the end: Hong Kong police told The Guardian they are not against making arrests and other reprehensible tactics.

Meanwhile, Chief Executive John Lee calls Hong Kong a “free” business environment where “the rule of law is of great significance” in one breath and dissidents “rats” who should “live in fear” in the next.

Truth is, Beijing has turned a once free and thriving metropolis into a dangerous, dictatorial place for businesses, dissidents and now their families.