An American citizen working for a law firm was among those arrested in Hong Kong on Wednesday under a new national security law imposed by Beijing, two sources told AFP.
John Clancey, a solicitor with the law firm Ho Tse Wai and Partners, was arrested on suspicion of “subversion”, a legal source said.
A police source confirmed Clancey’s arrest and the charge.
Ho Tse Wai is known for taking on human rights cases and police were seen searching the firm’s office on Wednesday morning.
One of its partners is Albert Ho, a former Hong Kong lawmaker and opposition politician, who was also among some 50 opposition figures arrested in Wednesday’s operation.
Clancey is the first American national detained under the new security law in Hong Kong since its imposition in late June last year.
The law firm’s website said Clancey joined the company in 1997 and is a specialist in medical negligence and personal injury cases.
The firm said he is also chairman of the Asian Human Rights Commission and a founding member of the Executive Committee of the China Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group.
– AFP
