Hong Kong police arrested Tang Ho-wing, founder of the online outlet Boom News, on suspicion of sedition. The case follows the outlet’s coverage of an August gathering linked to the 2019 protests. Press-freedom groups have called for his release and clarification of the allegations as authorities invoke the city’s national security legislation.
Hong Kong authorities arrested Tang Ho-wing, founder of the independent online outlet Boom News, on 30 September on suspicion of sedition. His detention followed coverage of a gathering held in August. The Committee to Protect Journalists, an international press-freedom organization, called for his release. Police said they had arrested a man under Hong Kong’s locally enacted national security law.[1], [2]
Boom News had reported from a commemoration outside Prince Edward subway station in Hong Kong on 31 August. It marked the anniversary of the 2019 confrontation between police and antigovernment protesters at the station. Some protesters claimed people had died during the raid; authorities denied that allegation. Police said participants at the later gathering carried flowers, chanted banned slogans and spread disinformation intended to stir hatred against the government and police.[1]
Police announced two arrests on suspicion of seditious acts under the national security statute adopted in 2024, without naming the suspects. Six people detained earlier in connection with the same alleged offense had been released on bail. Hong Kong’s press operates under that statute alongside Beijing’s 2020 national security law. The police allegations concern the gathering and its coverage; the arrest announcement did not include a court finding of guilt.[1]
