UK criticises Hong Kong arrests as latest attempt to stifle dissent

LONDON - British foreign minister Dominic Raab criticised the arrest of members of a pro-democracy group by Hong Kong police on Wednesday as being another example of how China was using a security law to stifle dissent in the former British colony.

"Today's arrests of members of the Hong Kong Alliance are another chilling demonstration of how the National Security Law is being used by Beijing to dismantle civil society and stifle political dissent in Hong Kong," Raab said on Twitter.

His comment came after Hong Kong police arrested four members of a group that organises an annual June 4 rally to commemorate those who died in the bloody 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown.