Hong Kong women who published 'seditious' children's books remanded in custody

Two Hong Kong women accused of publishing seditious children's books, have been remanded in custody.

The women were among the five members of the General Union of Hong Kong Speech Therapists who were arrested on Thursday on the charges of suspicion of conspiring to incite hatred against authorities, Hong Kong Free Press reported.

Speech therapists Lai Man-ling, 25, and Melody Yeung Yat-yee, 27 were denied bail on Friday after appearing before Chief Magistrate Victor So in West Kowloon Magistrates' Court to face a charge of "conspiring to print, publish, distribute, display or reproduce seditious publications."

Lai and Yeung are the chairperson and deputy chairperson of the union.

China, with the help of local authorities, has been ruling Hong Kong with an iron fist.

Authorities have also begun clamping down on cultural expression. Initial steps have included the closing of exhibitions dealing with pro-democracy protests.

Last month, the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region announced that censorship guidelines on the city had been expanded to cover "any act which may amount to an offence endangering national security".

The Hong Kong authorities have increasingly been relying on the China-backed National Security law, which provides them broad power to limit people's political freedom and to arrest journalists at independent news outlets.

The law criminalises any act of secession (breaking away from China), subversion (undermining the power or authority of the central government), terrorism and collusion with foreign forces, with punishments of up to life in prison.

( With inputs from ANI )