Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun was arrested Wednesday by the national security police in Hong Kong for allegedly colluding with foreign forces.
The Cardinal was arrested with former opposition lawmaker Margaret Ng Ngoi-yee and singer Denise Ho Wan-sze, according to sources cited by the South China Morning Post. All three are trustees of the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund, which offers financial assistance to individuals involved in anti-government protests, the outlet continued.
A fourth trustee, Hui Po Keung, was arrested on Tuesday as he was attempting to catch a flight to Germany, the outlet reported. (RELATED: Chinese Ambassador Denies Uyghur Genocide, Claims They Are Happy)
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A list of individuals who would be stopped by law enforcement if they tried to leave Hong Kong via the airport or other sources, the South China Morning Post reported. The fifth and final trustee of the Relief Fund, Cyd Ho Sau-lan, has not been arrested but is already in jail for reportedly illegal assemblies, according to the outlet.
Local law enforcement issued a statement in September 2021 that the National Security Department was looking into the Relief Fund as they were suspected of violating aspects of the Beijing-imposed legislation, the South China Morning Post reported. The group was forced to hand over details of donors and recipients, along with a plethora of other information related to their work, according to the outlet.
Others have been arrested in Hong Kong for links to pro-democracy protests and for making public statements against the government. President Joe Biden offered the U.S as a temporary “safe haven” for Hong Kong residents attempting to flee the crackdown on the territory from mainland China.