UN "Concerned" About Arrests in Hong Kong

The United Nations expressed its "concern" today, Monday, about the arrests carried out by authorities in Hong Kong in conjunction with the commemoration of the 34th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests. Meanwhile, China stated that Hong Kong is transitioning from "chaos to prosperity." The Hong Kong police reported that they arrested "23 individuals on Sunday" for what it described as "disorderly conduct" and arrested a 53-year-old woman for obstructing police officers during the commemoration of the violent crackdown by Beijing on pro-democracy advocates in 1989. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights called on Twitter for the release of any detainee "for exercising freedom of expression, opinion, and peaceful assembly." Hong Kong's public Radio and Television (RTHK) reported that the authorities later released the 23 people arrested on Sunday. In turn, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin stated that Beijing strongly supports the efforts of Hong Kong authorities to maintain security and stability. Wang mentioned at a press conference that the Chinese government "reached a clear conclusion a long time ago regarding the political turmoil that the country experienced in the late 1980s... and I want to emphasize that any attempt to use that as a pretext to smear China and interfere in its internal affairs will not succeed." The Chinese Foreign Ministry stated in a release late Sunday evening, "Today, Hong Kong is transitioning from chaos to stability and prosperity and is on the right path of one China, two systems."