Hong Kong authorities detain voices seeking accountability for devastating apartment fire

Author: Devin Windelspecht, MSc

December 4,, 2025

HRRC joins calls for a thorough and independent investigation into the November 26 Hong Kong apartment fires. We are deeply concerned about the use of the “national security law” to imprison individuals calling for government accountability, especially amid the rapid decline of freedom of expression in Hong Kong since 2020.

Image credit: [REUTERS/Tyrone Siu]

As Hong Kongers comb through the wreckage of a devastating apartment fire that killed over 150 people on Wednesday, November 26, authorities have responded to calls for accountability by arresting at least three people for “seditious intent.” 

The fire, which erupted in the Hong Kong housing complex of Wang Fuk Court, is the deadliest fire in the city for over 70 years. The fire comes after residents reportedly raised concerns last year about the scaffolding used during renovations of the towers – specifically the green mesh used to cover the scaffolding – which they worried was a flammable hazard. At the time, the concerns were dismissed by authorities as a “relatively low fire risk.” 

Following the fire, authorities have used the city’s draconian national security law to arrest at least three individuals, including a volunteer handing out supplies to victims and a former Hong Kong district councillor, Kenneth Cheung, on suspicion of “attempting to incite discord.” A third individual, Chinese University of Hong Kong student Miles Kwan, was arrested for “seditious intention” after circulating a petition calling for an independent investigation into the fire and for government accountability for the disaster. Kwan was released from jail on Monday.

Authorities have issued warnings to Hong Kongers not to “exploit” the tragedy, as analysts say the government views the calls for accountability as attempts to undermine its authority.

The arrest follows a steep decline for freedom of expression in the nominally politically autonomous Hong Kong following the 2020 imposition of the national security law by China. The national security law emerged in response to electoral victories by pro-democracy parties in 2019, which overwhelmingly won city-wide elections. 

The law has since been used to disqualify and arrest pro-democracy political candidates and activists and crack down on Hong Kong’s once fiercely independent media. As a result, the previously pro-democracy legislature is now dominated by pro-Chinese Communist Party voices, which have worked to silence activists and civil society. 

The national security law – which was updated in 2024 – also targets the freedom of expression of everyday Hong Kongers. For example, the law can land a person to up to 10 years in prison for criticizing the Chinese government, and hands out a maximum 14-year sentence for collaborating with “external forces” for the purpose of spreading vaguely defined “misinformation.” 

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Glossary 

• Activist – a person who organizes in favor of a particular political or social cause. 

• Authority – legitimacy or power. 

• Autonomous – a region able to enact its own laws and politics with minimum interference from an outside authority. 

• Civil society – groups outside of a government that contribute to the country’s broader society, including religious groups, the media, activists groups, and more. 

• Collaborating – working together with. 

• Councillor – a member of the city council, a legislative body that makes decisions for the city. 

• Discord – chaos or instability. 

• Disqualify – prevent from standing for a position, such as running for a legislative seat in politics. 

• Draconian – overly restrictive or repressive.

• Freedom of expression – the ability to speak one’s opinions without fear of censorship, arrest, or intimidation. 

• Legislature – a government body tasked with voting on and passing laws.

• Impose – to put on someone or something without their consent. 

• Incite – stir up or arouse. 

• Misinformation – information spread online that is misleading or not fully based in fact. 

• Mesh – a net-like assortment of threads that can be used to cover an object. 

• Nominally – in name only, not in reality. 

• Sabotage – intentionally disrupt or destroy. 

• Scaffolding – temporary structures affixed to the exterior of a building, often for the purpose of repairs or renovation. 

• Seditious intent – acts or rhetoric that call for instigating rebellion against a government.

• Undermine – weaken a government or political movement. 

• Wreckage – destruction.