Pro-Democracy Activists Joshua Wong and Agnes Chow Arrested in Hong Kong

Two prominent Hong Kong activists, Joshua Wong and Agnes Chow, were arrested Friday for participating in unauthorized assembly and inciting other protesters to do the same. Both have been released on bail. Hong Kong police have also denied organizers permission to hold a march planned for Saturday.

The two 22-year-olds are leaders of Demosisto, an organization that backs greater autonomy and self-government for Hong Kong. (Wong serves as secretary-general while Chow is on the standing committee.) Wong first entered protest politics during Hong Kong's "umbrella movement" of 2014. Those roughly three months of demonstrations called for giving the semi-autonomous Chinese city's residents the right to elect their chief executive directly, without the Communist Party pre-screening the candidates. Currently, citizens "elect" the chief executive, but have no options aside from candidates who have earned Beijing's stamp of approval.