Hong Kong Police National Security Department questioned on Thursday several relatives of two wanted activists, Dennis Kwok and Mung Siu-tat. They are among the activists wanted by Hong Kong authorities since July 3, when the Hong Kong Police Force announced a bounty for eight pro-democracy activists. There are no official press releases in relation to the question but several local media reported the news, including state-owned media Wenweipo and Legislator Joephy Chan.

Hong Kong Free Press quoted information from the police, reporting that the Police National Security Department took away seven people in total for investigation. The police claimed that “they are all suspected of assisting persons wanted by Police to continue to commit acts and engage in activities that endanger national security. The investigation is underway and further operations, including arrest, may be made.”

This round of investigation targeted Kwok, a former legislator from the pro-democratic Civic Party, which was disbanded in May 2023. Prior to this raid, the Hong Kong Secretary for Justice, Paul Lam, lodged a formal complaint to the Hong Kong Bar Association on July 10 over alleged professional misconduct. The complaint claimed that Kwok made use of his professional capacity to make slanderous remarks against Hong Kong judges and prosecutors. Advocating for foreign sanctions against the Chinese and Hong Kong governments also amounted to professional misconduct, Lam suggested.

The police have continued taking action against activists’ relatives and acquaintances who are still residing in Hong Kong. The last round of investigation targeted Nathan Law, the youngest elected legislator in Hong Kong. The police arrested five former members of the pro-democratic party Demosistō, which Law helped found in 2016. Following the arrest, the police has also raided his family home and took away his parents and brother for investigation on July 11.

Since the enactment of the National Security Law, the Police National Security Department has the powers to:

1. search places for evidence,
2. restrict persons under investigation from leaving Hong Kong,
3. freeze, restraint, confiscate, and forfeit properties,
4. remove messages endangering national security,
5. require foreign and Taiwan political organisations and agents to provide information by reason of activities concerning Hong Kong,
6. conducting interception and covert surveillance, and
7. require to furnish information and produce materials.

At the time the law passed, then Secretary for Security John Lee claimed that these practices would not cause any inroads to human rights as protected by the national security law or other local laws. On the other hand, the Minister of Foreign State, Commonwealth and Development Office Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP condemned the chilling effect of the National Security Law in June 2023. Over 60 human rights organizations also raised concerns on the practice of national security law on July 12. Nonetheless, Hong Kong’s government contended that these critiques are slander and “wanton attack.”