Hong Kong Watch Condemns Arrest of 10 individuals linked to the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund

Today, 10 individuals have been arrested for their links to the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund. They have been accused of “conspiracy to collusion with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security”, contravening Article 29 of the National Security Law (NSL) and inciting riot. 

According to the Hong Kong Police Force, they violated the NSL by receiving “donations from various overseas organisations to support people who have fled overseas or organisations which called for sanctions against Hong Kong.” The police had court warrants to arrest the 10 individuals, as well as search their homes and offices, and seize documents and electronics. 

Sources have indicated that pro-democracy activist Bobo Yip Po-lam is among the 10, but the other 9 have not been publicly named yet. The trustees of the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund were not arrested today. 

The 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund was established on 15 June 2019, to provide assistance to thousands of protestors in their legal services, medical treatment, psychological counselling, and emergency financial relief. In November 2022, the five trustees and secretary of the 612 Humanitarian Relief were found guilty of failing to register the already-defunct 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund, and fined. The five trustees were arrested earlier in the year for violating the NSL for alleged collusion with foreign forces, and are awaiting trial. 

Anouk Wear, Research and Policy Advisor at Hong Kong Watch, stated that:

“Today’s arrests mark a new low in the deterioration of Hong Kong’s rights and freedoms. It was already an overly broad and political interpretation of the law, including the National Security Law, to arrest and fine the trustees and secretary of the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund last year.

The arrest of the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund’s staff for alleged collusion and rioting is an absurd criminalisation of providing legal and humanitarian aid. This is an attempt by the Hong Kong government to rewrite history and frame all association with the protest movement as criminal, which is deeply damaging to rule of law and civil society.”