Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong arrested for 'unauthorised assembly'

Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong has been arrested on suspicion of "participating in an unauthorised assembly on Oct 5 last year".

He was arrested around 1 pm when he was reporting to the Central Police Station.

The news was reported through his official Twitter account that read: "#BREAKING Joshua is arrested when reporting to Central Police Station at about 1pm today. The arrest is related to participating in an unauthorized assembly on Oct 5 last year. He is told to have violated the draconian anti-mask law as well."

The 23-year-old pro-democracy figure was arrested after a Hong Kong court rejected Wong's challenge of the 2019 election disqualification. The court rejected it on procedural grounds.

He was the only candidate in the district council elections to be disqualified last year, and the authorities claimed his candidacy contravened electoral laws that bar “advocating or promoting self-determination” for the former British colony. He is yet to announce his plans of taking this fight further.

Wong is a Hong Kong local who led anti-government protests as a teenager in 2012 and 2014. He gained international spotlight as a student activist and as a secretary-general of the pro-democracy party Demosistō — which has now been disbanded due to the new Hong Kong Security Law imposed by China.

The young activist played an important role in the Umbrella Movement that took place in Hong Kong in 2014. Wong has often stood against the government and fought for the rights of Hong Kong locals, students and demanded democracy.

Wong has also featured in the TIME magazine's Most Influential Teens of 2014 and was nominated for its 2014 Person of the Year.