Arrests, courts suppress Hong Kong protests

Hong Kong pro-democracy activists canceled a major weekend protest after the arrests of three prominent members of the movement. Saturday’s march would have marked the fifth anniversary of China’s ruling against fully democratic elections in the territory, but organizer Bonnie Leung called it off when an appeals board denied the demonstrators permission to protest. Leung said leaders of the movement wanted to make sure any participants “will be physically and legally safe.”

Who did the authorities arrest? Joshua Wong and Agnes Chow, detained and released on bail Friday, were also student leaders in the 2014 democratic Umbrella Movement. Authorities are investigating Wong and Chow for participating in the demonstrations and inciting others to join. On Thursday, police also arrested Andy Chan, head of a banned pro-independence party, at the airport.

Dig deeper: Read June Cheng’s report in the latest issue of WORLD Magazine on how local churches and pastors are supporting the democracy movement.