2020 bombardment of Martuni, Timeline
A Russian journalist with the independent Dozhd TV channel was reported to have safely reached a bomb shelter. Artak Beglaryan, Human Rights ombudsman in Artsakh, expressed suspicion that “Azerbaijan’s targeting of journalists is aimed at driving journalists out of the war zone, so that international journalists, in particular, will not be able to present the situation objectively.” Artsakh's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that it has data which suggests that special Azerbaijani military units are ordered to follow and target reporters covering the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied that the country's military has targeted members of the press.


2020 bombardment of Martuni, Timeline
On 12 October 2020 BBC journalists captured the destruction in Stepanakert and Martuni as a result of shelling by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces. The shelling resulted in the deaths of civilians. On 13 October 2020, a BBC film crew visited Martuni. Local resident Armen Saghiyan said that the shelling of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces destroyed his house and his father died under the rubble. On 19 October 2020, the Ombudsman of the Republic of Artsakh stated on Monday that two days earlier in the city of Martuni, one civilian was killed and another was wounded under shelling.


2020 bombardment of Martuni, Timeline
On 22 October 2020, the Armenian military report on stubborn battles in different parts of the front and artillery shelling of the front-line city of Martuni and the surrounding area. On 23 October 2020, the authorities of the Republic of Artsakh claimed that the enemy fired on the cities of Martuni and Askeran on Thursday evening, at night and on Friday morning, as well as villages in the Martuni Province, including the large village Karmir Shuka. On 24 October 2020, the State Service of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Artsakh announced that the city of Martuni and the village of Taghavard were shelled. It was stated that the attack was carried out using the Grad-Smerch systems.


2020 bombardment of Martuni, Timeline
On 26 October 2020, at 07.00 Moscow time (06.00 local time) a new agreement on a humanitarian truce in the zone of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict entered into force. The parties promised this time to adhere to the ceasefire agreement, but in the first hours they exchanged accusations of violating the ceasefire. On the same day, Artsakh's representatives accused Azerbaijan of shelling Martuni. Residents of Martuni took refuge in shelters, the mayor's office said.


2020 bombardment of Martuni, Timeline
The Karabakh Emergency Situations Service announced an air raid on the city, but the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry claimed that it does not use military aviation and is observing the ceasefire. Representative of the Emergencies Ministry Hunan Tadevosyan told the Caucasian Knot correspondent about the air strikes. "The enemy used military aviation against the city of Martuni," he said. The entire population of the city is in shelters, Martuni mayor's office noted.


2020 bombardment of Martuni, Timeline
On 1 November 2020, the State Service for Emergency Situations of Artsakh stated that Azerbaijan is not complying with the Geneva agreements and continues shelling peaceful settlements. In addition to strikes against the cities of Martuni, Shushi and nearby settlements in Karabakh, military aviation is used. On 5 November 2020, the Artsakh State Service of Emergency Situations stated that Martuni has come under intense Azerbaijani shelling, being hit by heavy artillery, and targeted "the civilian population and the civilian infrastructure".


2020 bombardment of Martuni, Casualties
According to Head of Martuni regional administration of the Republic of Artsakh Edik Avanesyan, as of the beginning of October, 5 residents were killed and 10 residents were wounded in the city of Martuni. Infrastructure was also destroyed. More than 120 residential and administrative buildings in the town have been damaged, along with 40 cars. The drone strikes, along with artillery salvos, forced Avanesyan to order an evacuation of most of Martuni's 6,200 residents, with most women and children seeking refuge outside the town while some of the men stay behind. Residents of Martuni were forced to hide in shelters.


2020 bombardment of Martuni, Reactions, Amnesty International
Following the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement, Amnesty International visited strike sites in Armenia, Artsakh and Azerbaijan. The organization interviewed 79 survivors, witnesses and relatives of civilians killed and injured in the strikes, in addition to local civilian and military authorities, NGO workers and journalists. Amnesty International's Crisis Response team analyzed fragments of munitions used in the attacks and examined videos, photographs, and satellite images taken during the conflict. Marie Struthers stated that “our research revealed a pattern of indiscriminate and disproportionate strikes by both sides that killed and harmed civilians and damaged civilian objects.


2020 bombardment of Martuni, Reactions, Amnesty International
Attacks were repeatedly carried out on civilian residential areas far from frontlines, and where there often did not appear to be any military targets in the vicinity”. In Martuni, on 27 September, 12 strikes in the space of four minutes included one that mortally wounded an eight-year-old girl, Victoria Gevorgyan, and left her two-year-old brother Artsvik badly injured and traumatized.


2020 bombardment of Martuni, Reactions, Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch and Armenian authorities stated that at least nine medical facilities were damaged in Martuni and other districts of Nagorno-Karabakh during the conflict.


2020 bombardment of Stepanakert
The bombardment of Stepanakert (Armenian: Ստեփանակերտի ռմբակոծություններ) began on September 27, 2020, the first day of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, and lasted throughout the duration of the war. Stepanakert is the capital and largest city of the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh, internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and was home to 60,000 Armenians on the eve of the war. Throughout the 6-week bombardment, international third parties consistently confirmed evidence of the indiscriminate use of cluster bombs and missiles by Azerbaijan against civilian areas lacking any military installations in Stepanakert; this was denied by Azerbaijan.


2020 bombardment of Stepanakert
The prolonged bombardment forced many residents to flee, and the rest to take cover in crowded bomb shelters, leading to a severe outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the city, infecting a majority of the remaining residents. Throughout the course of the bombardment, 13 residents were killed, 51 were injured, and 4,258 buildings in the city were damaged.


2020 bombardment of Stepanakert, Background
The clashes are part of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh with an ethnic Armenian majority. The region is a de jure part of Azerbaijan, but is de facto held by the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh, which is supported by Armenia. The region has been historically inhabited and governed by ethnic Armenians. In 1921, Stalin made Nagorno-Karabakh an autonomous region in Soviet Azerbaijan, against the will of its majority ethnic Armenian population. Ethnic violence began in the late 1980s, and exploded into a full war following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991.


2020 bombardment of Stepanakert, Background
The First Nagorno-Karabakh War resulted in approximately 724,000 Azerbaijanis being expelled from Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding territories, and 300,000–500,000 Armenians being displaced from Azerbaijan or Armenian border areas. The War ended with a ceasefire in 1994, with the Republic of Artsakh controlling most of the Armenian-populated Nagorno-Karabakh region, as well as seven Azerbaijani-majority surrounding districts outside the enclave itself. Nagorno-Karabakh held an independence referendum in 1991, voting to secede from Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan did not recognize the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh and the war continued until the 1994 ceasefire.


2020 bombardment of Stepanakert, Background
For three decades, multiple violations of the ceasefire have occurred, the most serious incidents prior to the current conflict being the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh clashes. Long-standing international mediation attempts to create a peace process were initiated by the OSCE Minsk Group in 1994, with the interrupted Madrid Principles being the most recent iteration. While how the present inhabitants of the area want to administer the territory is unclear, surveys indicate they do not want to be part of Azerbaijan. In August 2019, in an unprecedented declaration in favour of unification, the Armenian Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan, visited Nagorno-Karabakh, stating, “Artsakh is Armenia, full stop”.


2020 bombardment of Stepanakert, Background
Skirmishes occurred on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan in July 2020. Thousands of Azerbaijanis demonstrated for war against Armenia in response, with Turkey propagandising in support of Azerbaijan.


2020 bombardment of Stepanakert, Background
On 23 July 2020, Armenia announced the start of a joint air defence system exercise with Russia and an analysis of the July 2020 clashes. A week later, Azerbaijan conducted a series of military exercises that lasted from 29 July to 10 August, and further exercises in early September with the involvement of Turkey. Turkey's support for Azerbaijan has been seen as connected to its expansionist, neo-Ottoman foreign policy, linking its intervention to its policies in Syria, Iraq, and the Eastern Mediterranean.


2020 bombardment of Stepanakert, Background
Prior to the resumption of hostilities, allegations emerged that hundreds of Syrian National Army members from the Hamza Division were transferred to Azerbaijan, which was soon followed by France24, The Independent and The Guardian reporting evidence of the Syrian fighters being recruited and transferred by Turkey. Meanwhile, Turkish media close to President Erdogan claimed that YPG and PKK members from Iraq and Syria were transferred to Nagorno-Karabakh in order to train Armenian militias against Azerbaijan. The governments of both Azerbaijan and Armenia have denied allegations of involvement by foreign fighters.


2020 bombardment of Stepanakert, Bombardment
International third parties confirmed witnessing evidence of the use of banned cluster munition by Azerbaijan against civilian areas in Stepanakert and Nagorno-Karabakh. Reports indicated that Azerbaijan used missiles and cluster bombs starting on September 27, 2020. Over 180 cluster munitions were used between September 27, 2020 to October 10, 2020. Armenian experts have identified Soviet-made Smerch rockets, 9N235 submunition as one of the 72 bomblets dispersed. Israeli-made LAR-160 cluster munition rockets, M095 DPICM cluster munitions were also identified.


2020 bombardment of Stepanakert, Bombardment
During an on-site investigation in Nagorno-Karabakh in October 2020, Human Rights Watch documented four incidents in which Azerbaijan used Israeli-made cluster munitions against civilian areas of Nagorno-Karabakh. The HRW investigation team did not find any sort of military sites in the residential neighborhoods where the cluster munitions were used and condemned its use against civilian populated areas. Stephen Goose, arms division director at Human Rights Watch and chair of the Cluster Munition Coalition, stated that "the continued use of cluster munitions – particularly in populated areas – shows flagrant disregard for the safety of civilians.”


2020 bombardment of Stepanakert, Bombardment
He then added that "the repeated use of cluster munitions by Azerbaijan should cease immediately as their continued use serves to heighten the danger for civilians for years to come." The HRW investigation team also noted that numerous civilian buildings and infrastructure, such as children's playgrounds, business, and homes, were heavily damaged due to shelling.


2020 bombardment of Stepanakert, Bombardment
International media outlets reported about repeated indiscriminate shelling of civilian targets in Stepanakert. French AFP journalists said “there were regular explosions and clouds of black smoke rising in parts of the city”. German reporter from Bild wrote: “we spent every night in a basement. The sirens kept blaring. The attacks were fierce.” He described it as “the most intense of civilian shellings I have seen so far.”  Russian RBK journalist wrote: ”For the fourth day in a row, the capital of Nagorno-Karabakh has been under continuous shelling. The shelling starts from the very morning. There are no military positions in the city center, strikes are directed at civilian targets.”


2020 bombardment of Stepanakert, Bombardment
Several outlets reported increased cases of COVID-19 as a result of the shelling and drone strikes by Azerbaijan in Stepanakert, where the population is forced to live in overcrowded bunkers, and the difficulty that entails for testing and contact tracing


2020 bombardment of Stepanakert, Bombardment
According to the Office of the President of the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh, hostilities commenced when at 08:03 on September 27 Azerbaijani armed forces launched artillery and aerial strikes against civilian settlements, including the capital, Stepanakert. Authorities urged the population to seek cover in bomb shelters. An air-raid siren was turned on in Stepanakert. More than a dozen people were injured in Stepanakert (including women and children); the Azerbaijani MoD denied these claims.


2020 bombardment of Stepanakert, Bombardment
At approximately 14:00, the Armenian MoD stated that Azerbaijani forces were bombarding Stepanakert. As a result, the building of Ministry of Emergency Situations was partially destroyed and the cars in the parking lot were damaged. Residential buildings and also a military hospital was targeted. Reports indicated that 1 civilian was killed and 4 injured.


2020 bombardment of Stepanakert, Bombardment
According to the Armenian government's Unified Info Center, Stepanakert, was shelled again on Saturday morning. "Caucasian Knot" correspondent has reported that at 11:00 a.m Azerbaijan resumed shelling of Stepanakert. Residents remained in shelters while air alert sirens were used to warn the population. Over the course of the day three explosions were heard.


2020 bombardment of Stepanakert, Bombardment
Armenian government's Unified Info Center reported that Azerbaijan had targeted the maternity hospital of Stepanakert on October 28. The HRW report mentions that the new maternity ward had moved its operations to the basement because of the constant shelling in the city and according to staff testimonies and video material obtained by HRW "dozens of patients and staff were at the hospital during the attack, including pregnant women, women with bleeding and other gynaecological issues, civilians with light wounds, and soldiers in the emergency ward. The presence of injured soldiers in a hospital does not change its protected nature."


2020 bombardment of Stepanakert, Bombardment
On October 31, Human Rights Ombudsman of the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh, Artak Beglaryan, released a video from the rubble of Stepanakert’s Central market, claiming that in violation of the humanitarian ceasefire agreement signed the day before Azerbaijan had shelled the market, calling on the international community to act in order to stop attacks on civilian population.


2020 bombardment of Stepanakert, Bombardment
On December 11, 2020, Human Rights Watch released a comprehensive report about violations by Azerbaijan, also mentioning the attacks on Stepanakert using cluster munitions, Smerch, and Grad rockets, which occurred even though there was no evidence of military operations in those areas. The report also stated how in October, they spoke to 19 residents about the attacks, and the effects of the war in Stepanakert. HRW added a statement to the report saying "Such attacks are indiscriminate, violating the laws of war, because they do not distinguish between civilians and civilian objects and military targets."


2020 bombardment of Stepanakert, Bombardment
On February 2, 2021, Special Rapporteurs of OHCHR sent a letter to Azerbaijan expressing concern “regarding reports of indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas, resulting in damage or destruction of schools, churches and other cultural heritage sites” and asking to “provide information on the steps taken to ensure respect for the principles of distinction, precaution and proportionality”.


2020 bombardment of Stepanakert, Bombardment
The letter states that Azerbaijani forces conducted multiple strikes “which may constitute a bombardment” on Stepanakert with indiscriminate weapons, including air-delivered weapons, large calibre artillery, rockets and cluster munitions in several parts of Stepanakert, including residential areas, resulting in damage to civilian infrastructures, including schools, residential homes, apartment complexes and the maternity ward of the Republic Medical Centre, which led to deaths and injuries to civilians. Dual use objects such as  power plants, electricity and gas stations and the telecommunication head office located in residential areas were also targeted with indiscriminate weapons.


2020 bombardment of Stepanakert, Bombardment
On 8 September 2021, Human Rights Watch released a new report which says that Azerbaijan used munitions "with wide-area effects", including "fundamentally-inaccurate artillery rockets", "targeting the nearby main electrical substation struck Stepanakert’s School No. 10 at least six times over the course of the conflict, putting dozens of classrooms out of commission and cutting the school’s electrical and water supply." Other schools damaged by shelling in Stepanakert during the 2020 war were School No. 12, Kindergarten No. 1, a music school, and the kindergarten of the Armenian Evangelical Association.


2020 boogaloo killings
In late May and early June 2020, two ambush-style attacks occurred against security personnel and law enforcement officers in California. The attacks left two dead and injured three others.


2020 boogaloo killings
The attacks began on May 29, when a drive-by shooting occurred in front of a federal courthouse in Oakland, resulting in the death of a security officer contracted with the Federal Protective Service. Over a week later on June 6, Santa Cruz County sheriff's deputies were shot at and also attacked with improvised explosive devices; one of them died as a result.


2020 boogaloo killings
U.S. Air Force sergeant Steven Carrillo was arrested soon after the second attack. A second suspect, Robert Justus, surrendered to authorities five days later. The FBI indicated that Carrillo was associated with the boogaloo movement, a loosely organized American far-right anti-government extremist movement whose participants say they are preparing for a second civil war. Carrillo used the George Floyd protests as a cover to attack police officers, according to the FBI. A white van owned by Carrillo contained a ballistic vest with a patch bearing boogaloo symbolism.


2020 boogaloo killings
Carrillo is alleged to have written "boog" and the phrase "I became unreasonable" (a popular meme among boogaloo groups) in his own blood on the hood of a vehicle he hijacked. According to federal authorities, the suspects were motivated by the boogaloo movement's ideology, and allegedly intended to spread its extremist views and start a civil war. During his arraignment, Carrillo wore a face mask with the words 'We the people,' written in marker, along with initials 'BLM' - for 'Black Lives Matter' - and 'Portland, Kenosha, George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.'


2020 boogaloo killings, Attacks, Oakland, California, shooting
At around 9:44 pm PDT on May 29, 2020, an initially unknown assailant (later identified as Carrillo) fired a rifle out of the sliding door of a white van, striking security personnel stationed outside the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building in Oakland, California. Two Triple Canopy security officers contracted with the Federal Protective Service were shot, resulting in the death of David Patrick Underwood and the serious injury to the other. The attack occurred during George Floyd protests in Oakland, but the two were not related. Video surveillance later revealed that the van did not have license plates and had been in the area for at least half an hour. A man was seen exiting the driver's seat and walking around for 10 minutes before the attack.


2020 boogaloo killings, Attacks, Oakland, California, shooting
On October 23, 2020, the U.S. Attorney's Office in the District of Minnesota announced they had filed federal charges against another boogaloo adherent and alleged agent provocateur who had traveled from Texas to Minneapolis to participate in a George Floyd protest on May 27–28, 2020. In the indictment, he was alleged to have been in contact with Carrillo via text message, and to have texted Carrillo to instruct him to "go for police buildings".


2020 boogaloo killings, Attacks, Oakland, California, shooting
In response, Carrillo allegedly replied, "I did better lol", which prosecutors believe was a reference to killing Underwood blocks away from the unrelated Black Lives Matter protest. The man also allegedly asked Carrillo for money, saying he needed "to be in the woods for a bit." Carrillo reportedly provided him with $200 via a cash app.


2020 boogaloo killings, Attacks, Santa Cruz County, California, attack
On June 6, 2020, Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Department deputies arrived at Carrillo's residence, ten miles north of the city of Santa Cruz, California in Ben Lomond, California. In response, Carrillo allegedly fired at the deputies with an AR-15 style rifle, seriously injuring one deputy and killing Sheriff Sergeant Damon Gutzwiller. Two nearby California Highway Patrol officers responded to the scene, and were met with gunfire, wounding one officer. Deputies and officers were also attacked with improvised explosive devices. During the shootout, Carrillo was hit and fled on foot to a nearby highway where he hijacked a car.


2020 boogaloo killings, Attacks, Santa Cruz County, California, attack
He abandoned the car minutes later. According to the criminal complaint against him, Carrillo scrawled messages in his own blood on the hijacked car that said "I became unreasonable", "stop the duopoly", and "Boog". Carrillo tried to take another car from where it was parked at a home, but was restrained by the homeowner and another civilian. Carrillo was arrested in connection with the attack.


2020 boogaloo killings, Suspects
Steven Carrillo is a 32-year-old Air Force sergeant from Ben Lomond, California. He was on active duty at Travis Air Force Base near Fairfield, California, as an airman in the Phoenix Ravens program, a special unit tasked with guarding American military personnel and aircraft at unsecure foreign airfields. He had worked at the base since 2018, though he had served in Kuwait for four months in 2019. A former friend of Carrillo's told ABC News that Carrillo identified as a libertarian.


2020 boogaloo killings, Suspects
Robert A. Justus Jr. is a 30-year-old man from Millbrae, California.


2020 boogaloo killings, Investigation
The FBI investigation of the Oakland shooting did not initially reveal a motive or a suspect. By June 2, investigators believed the attackers were targeting uniformed officers. An abandoned white van that held firearms, ammunition, and bomb-making equipment contained evidence that led to Carrillo's home in Ben Lomond. A ballistic vest found in the white van bore a patch with the boogaloo symbols of Hawaiian-style print and igloos. At his home he opened fire on officers, was shot in the process, fled on foot, and hijacked a nearby car. He was later found and arrested, bleeding from his hip. According to an official from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), a homemade machine gun with a silencer was used in the shootings. The weapon was a "ghost gun" and did not have a serial number.


2020 boogaloo killings, Investigation
Acting Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Ken Cuccinelli described the Oakland shooting as an "act of domestic terrorism". The FBI announced on June 16 that Steven Carrillo was associated with the boogaloo movement and that he and Justus had deliberately chosen the night of protests in Oakland for cover for the May 29 attack. The FBI agent-in-charge of the investigation stated, "There is no evidence that these men had any intention to join the demonstration in Oakland. They came to Oakland to kill cops." Beforehand, Carrillo posted on Facebook, "Go to the riots and support our own cause.


2020 boogaloo killings, Investigation
Show them the real targets" and "Use their anger to fuel our fire. Think outside the box. We have mobs of angry people to use to our advantage." The attack took place several blocks from a protest at Oakland City Hall. A former friend of Carrillo's told interviewers, "Excessive use of force on unarmed civilians — that was a huge thing for him... It was a mental tipping point for him." The hijacked car had "boog", "I became unreasonable", and "stop the duopoly" written in Carrillo's blood on the vehicle's hood.


2020 boogaloo killings, Investigation
"I became unreasonable" is a popular phrase in boogaloo memes, and is a quote from Marvin Heemeyer, the perpetrator of the 2004 "Killdozer" rampage in which he demolished several buildings over a zoning dispute. "Stop the duopoly" is also a popular fixation among boogaloo adherents, referring to the dominance of the Republican and Democratic parties in American politics.


2020 boogaloo killings, Investigation
Authorities linked the crimes to the boogaloo movement and said the men used recent demonstrations against racial injustice as a cover to attack law enforcement. The FBI agent in charge of the investigation said in a news conference that the suspects did not appear to intend to join the protests, saying, "They came to Oakland to kill cops."


2020 boogaloo killings, Investigation
Using a search warrant, the FBI investigated posts from Carrillo's Facebook account posted between May 28 and 29. One message read, "It's on our coast now, this needs to be nationwide. It's a great opportunity to target the specialty soup bois." (According to the FBI, "soup bois" may refer to federal law enforcement agents.) Another read, "Its kicking off now and if its not kicking off in your hood then start it. Show them the targets."


2020 boogaloo killings, Investigation
Justus was declared a suspect in the Oakland shooting and placed under FBI surveillance. He turned himself in at the federal building in San Francisco five days after Carrillo's arrest.


2020 boogaloo killings, Legal proceedings
Carrillo was charged with 19 felonies, including murder and attempted murder. The charges carry lying in wait enhancements, making him eligible for the death penalty, though officials have not decided whether they will seek the death penalty in this case. Carrillo's lawyer has contested statements about Carrillo by law enforcement, and stated that Carrillo was "left deeply shaken" by the suicide of his wife in 2018. He also told the Santa Cruz Sentinel that Carrillo had experienced a traumatic brain injury in 2009. On August 27, 2020, Carrillo pled not guilty to the murder charge for the sergeant killed in Santa Cruz. Preliminary hearings for charges related to the Oakland shooting were slated for December 2020 but postponed to March because of the ongoing case around the Santa Cruz attack.


2020 boogaloo killings, Legal proceedings
Justus is facing charges of aiding and abetting murder and aiding and abetting attempted murder. He has pled not guilty to the charges.


2020 boogaloo killings, Reaction
Several conservative commentators inaccurately linked the Oakland shooting to the George Floyd protests that were occurring at the time. Media Matters for America, a left-wing organization that monitors right-wing media, characterized right-wing coverage of Underwood's death as an attempt to "discredit the wider Black Lives Matter protests". Fox News anchor Eric Shawn spoke of the George Floyd protests, saying "we have been under attack from domestic terrorists," then reported Underwood's killing. Sean Hannity asserted Underwood was "murdered by rioters". On June 1, then-President Donald Trump repeated the claim in a speech about the protests, saying, "A federal officer in California, an African American enforcement hero, was shot and killed. These are not acts of peaceful protest. These are acts of domestic terror."


2020 boogaloo killings, Reaction
During his Republican National Convention speech on August 26, 2020, then-Vice President Mike Pence implied that Underwood had been killed by radical leftist activists at a Floyd protest that was also in Oakland. Rebecca Kaplan, the City Councilmember At-Large for Oakland, California, denounced Pence's "deeply misleading statements" about the killing, saying, "Pence wrongly attempted to tie this killing to the Black Lives Matter movement, which, in fact, had no involvement in the killing... Mr. Underwood's tragic murder was not part of any demonstration, but an act of a violent, armed white supremacist... Pence's lies attempt to discredit important movements for social justice, and to move blame away from violent white supremacist murder."


2020 cholera outbreak in Bengaluru
An outbreak of cholera was reported in Bengaluru, Karnataka in March 2020. As of 9 March 2020, there were 17 cases of cholera in Bengaluru. Reports of cholera-like cases were also being reported in large numbers in Bengaluru.


2020 cholera outbreak in Bengaluru, Epidemiology
The cause of the outbreak is suspected to be a sewage leak in Bengaluru, although the exact focus is yet to be ascertained.


2020 cholera outbreak in Bengaluru, Epidemiology
Out of the 17 cases recorded, 8 are in the east zone, 7 in the south zone and 2 in the west zone. As of 9 March, there are also 25 suspected cases of cholera in Bengaluru. Most patients were in the age group of 20-40, belonging to the IT corridor of Bengaluru.


2020 cholera outbreak in Bengaluru, Governmental actions
The Bengaluru civic body evicted street food vendors and footpath sellers to ensure the city's cleanliness and to prevent the further transmission of the disease. The samples of water taken from various parts of the city were sent for testing to Public Health Institute on the suspicion that sewage is being mixed with drinking water. The cholera outbreak is amidst the concerns of the spread of coronavirus in Karnataka. Water supply was stopped to some of the areas where the cases were reported. The Chief Health Officer of Bengaluru said that cholera help desks have been set up in urban primary health centres of the city.


2020 congressional insider trading scandal
The 2020 congressional insider trading scandal was a political scandal in the United States involving allegations that several members of the United States Senate violated the STOCK Act by selling stock at the start of COVID-19 pandemic in the United States and just before a stock market crash on February 20, 2020, using knowledge given to them at a closed Senate meeting. The Department of Justice initiated a probe into the stock transactions on March 30, 2020. No charges were brought against anyone and all investigations into the matter are closed.


2020 congressional insider trading scandal, Background
On January 26, 2012, Senator Joe Lieberman introduced the STOCK Act that would prohibit the use of non-public information for private profit, including insider trading by members of Congress and other government employees. The bill was passed by the Senate with only Senators Richard Burr, Jeff Bingaman, and Tom Coburn voting against it. The House of Representatives voted to approve of the bill and it was signed into law by President Barack Obama on April 4, 2012.


2020 congressional insider trading scandal, Timeline
On January 24, 2020, the Senate Committees on Health and Foreign Relations held a closed meeting with only Senators present to brief them about the COVID-19 outbreak and how it would affect the United States. Following the meeting Senator Kelly Loeffler and her husband Jeffrey Sprecher, the chairman of the New York Stock Exchange, made twenty-seven transactions to sell stock worth between $1,275,000 and $3,100,000 and two transactions to buy stock in Citrix Systems which saw an increase following the correction.


2020 congressional insider trading scandal, Timeline
Senator David Perdue made a series of 112 transactions with stocks sold for around $825,000 and bought stocks worth $1.8 million. Perdue started buying around $185,000 in stock in DuPont, a company that makes personal protective equipment, on the same day as the Senate briefing up to March 2. Additionally, John Hoeven of North Dakota purchased $250,000 in health science companies in January, five days after attending a briefing about the pandemic.


2020 congressional insider trading scandal, Timeline
On February 7, Senator Burr, the Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, stated in an open-editorial on how the government could respond to coronavirus that "Luckily, we have a framework in place that has put us in a better position than any other country to respond to a public health threat, like the coronavirus," However, on February 13, he and his wife sold between $628,000 and $1.7 million worth of stock through thirty-three transactions and on February 27, Burr stated that "There's one thing that I can tell you about this: It is much more aggressive in its transmission than anything that we have seen in recent history," at a Capitol Hill Club luncheon and his statement was later leaked in a secret recording.


2020 congressional insider trading scandal, Timeline
On March 19, ProPublica published an article showing that Burr had sold stock shortly before the correction and Loeffler, Jim Inhofe, and Dianne Feinstein's stock selling was also reported. NPR asked Caitlin Carroll, Burr's spokesperson, for a comment on the alleged violations and she responded with "lol" and then clarified that "As the situation continues to evolve daily, he has been deeply concerned by the steep and sudden toll this pandemic is taking on our economy."


2020 congressional insider trading scandal, Timeline
Tucker Carlson called for Burr to resign from the Senate and be prosecuted for insider trading on a segment of Tucker Carlson Tonight. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also called for Burr to resign and Representative Joaquin Castro called for an investigation into the stock selling. Representative Doug Collins, who ran against Loeffler in the special Senate election in Georgia, criticized her by stating "People are losing their jobs, their businesses, their retirements, and even their lives and Kelly Loeffler is profiting off their pain? I'm sickened just thinking about it."


2020 congressional insider trading scandal, Timeline
On April 10, Montana Attorney General Tim Fox accused Representative Greg Gianforte, the wealthiest member of the House of Representatives, of insider trading by investing into the manufacturer of hydroxychloroquine. At the time Fox was running against Gianforte for the Republican nomination in the 2020 Montana gubernatorial election.


2020 congressional insider trading scandal, Investigation
On March 20, Burr requested for the Senate Ethics Committee to investigate his stock trading history and stated that he only used publicly available information to make his decisions. On March 30, the Department of Justice initiated a probe into the stock transactions with the Securities and Exchange Commission.


2020 congressional insider trading scandal, Investigation
During the investigation it was discovered that Burr had also sold around $47,000 worth of stock in OCI, a Dutch fertilizer company, before it suffered a forty-two percent decrease in its value in 2018. From September 5 to 8, 2018, Burr and his wife sold all of their stock in OCI, which at the time was experiencing its highest share price; a month later it failed to meet quarterly earnings expectations after the Trump administration granted exemptions to eight countries for sanctions placed on Iranian oil and petrochemicals.


2020 congressional insider trading scandal, Investigation
On May 13, the FBI seized Burr's phone, to investigate his communications with his stock broker, among other warrants, including one to search his personal iCloud account. On May 14, Burr told Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell that he would temporarily step down as chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee for the remainder of the investigation.


2020 congressional insider trading scandal, Investigation
On May 26, the Justice Department announced that it had ended its investigation into Feinstein, Inhofe, and Loeffler. On January 19, 2021, the Justice Department closed its investigation into Burr.


2020 cyberattacks on Sri Lanka
The 2020 cyberattacks on Sri Lanka were a series of cyberattacks on at least 5 Sri Lankan national websites with the top-level domains of .gov and .com. The cyberattack is speculated to have been conducted on 17 and 18 May 2020. The cyber-attack was also launched on the leading news website of Sri Lanka. The website of the Chinese Embassy operating in Sri Lanka and the website of Cabinet Office in Sri Lanka were also affected by the cyberattack. The investigations are currently carried out by Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team along with the Information Technology Society of Sri Lanka (ITSSL). ITSSL believes that this cyber attack conducted by a group called 'Tamil Eelam Cyber Force'.


2020 deaths in American television
The following deaths of notable individuals related to American television occurred in 2020.


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States
In June 2020, the Trump administration began deploying federal law enforcement forces to select cities in the United States in response to rioting and monument removals amid the George Floyd protests. Federal law enforcement elements were deployed under Operation Legend, Operation Diligent Valor, and the Protecting American Communities Task Force (PACT). The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) cited an executive order regarding "monuments, memorials and statues" as allowing federal officers to be deployed without the permission of individual U.S. states, as the federal government "has the right to enforce federal laws, investigate crimes and make arrests" within states.


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States
On June 1, 2020, in Washington, D.C., federal law enforcement deployed riot control tactics and munitions against protesters to expand a security perimeter, which allowed for President Donald Trump to later walk from the White House to the historic St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square for a brief photo op. Days later, anonymous federal forces began to appear on D.C. streets, with many refusing to identify themselves. In July 2020, federal forces were deployed in Portland, Oregon as part of the PACT, where their use of unmarked cars and officers in camouflage without clear identification badges generated outrage. DHS officials defended the use of unmarked vehicles and unidentified officers in camouflage; acting DHS deputy secretary Ken Cuccinelli said "Unmarked police vehicles are so common it's barely worth discussion" and that officers wore the same uniforms and equipment each day, so demonstrators could nevertheless identify them.


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States
Federal details were also deployed to Kansas City and Seattle. DHS had plans to send 150 agents to Chicago and President Trump had threatened future deployments to other cities "run by liberal Democrats," including Oakland, California and New York.


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States
According to a Government Accountability Office report released in September 2020 and based on self-reported data, tactical teams from 16 federal agencies were deployed to multiple cities in May and June alone, including Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco, CA; Denver, CO; Washington, DC; Miami, FL; Detroit and Port Huron, MI; St. Louis, MO; Buffalo and New York City, NY; Dallas, El Paso, Houston, and Pearland, TX; and Seattle and Tacoma, WA.


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States
The deployment was met with lawsuits, rebukes, and concerns over constitutionality. In May 2021, Trump's successor Joe Biden revoked the executive order that allowed for federal prosecution of individuals that vandalized federal monuments.


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Aerial surveillance
By June 19, 2020, the Department of Homeland Security had logged "at least 270 hours of surveillance" captured via airplanes, drones, and helicopters above demonstrations in 15 cities protesting police violence and the murder of George Floyd. Reportedly, some footage was sent in real time to Air and Marine Operations control centers and fed from there to the so-called "Big Pipe", a digital network enabling other federal agencies and local police to access it.


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Aerial surveillance, Congressional responses
On June 5, 2020, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee wrote Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf, expressing concern about surveillance and intimidation via Predator drones and the anticipated use of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel, and asking for data on surveillance and deployment. On June 9, over 30 members of Congress also voiced concerns to FBI Director Wray, National Guard Bureau Chief General Lengyel, DEA Acting Administrator Shea, and CBP Acting Commissioner Morgan about the surveillance of protesters, demanding that they cease.


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Founding of PACT
On June 26, 2020, in response to a wave of monument and memorial removals across the country during the George Floyd protests, President Donald Trump issued Executive Order 13933, Protecting American Monuments, Memorials, and Statues and Combating Recent Criminal Violence, announcing that the federal government would (1) prosecute anyone vandalizing or desecrating public monuments, memorials, and statues; government property; or religious property; (2) prosecute anyone inciting related violence; and (3) withhold federal support from local and state governments that failed to protect such structures from vandalism.


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Founding of PACT
The executive order also stated that if the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Homeland Security, or the Administrator of General Services requested federal personnel "to assist with the protection of Federal monuments, memorials, statues, or property," they shall be provided by the Department of Defense, the Department of Justice, and/or the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The order was interpreted as allowing federal officers to be deployed without the permission of individual U.S. states.


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Founding of PACT
The Department of Homeland Security created the Protecting American Communities Task Force (PACT) to coordinate its response, including assessing any potential unrest and deploying personnel to protect structures. Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf stated that the task force would not "...stand idly by while violent anarchists and rioters seek not only to vandalize and destroy the symbols of our nation, but to disrupt law and order and sow chaos in our communities." PACT would partner with the Justice Department and the Department of Interior to share information. Other departments that would potentially coordinate with the task force are the Federal Protective Service, U.S. Secret Service, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection and the Transportation Security Administration.


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Founding of PACT
According to an internal memo, the DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis received authorization to engage in domestic surveillance to protect against "threats to damage or destroy any public monument, memorial, or statue".


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Founding of PACT
Executive Order 13933 was revoked by President Joe Biden in May 2021.


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Activities in Washington D.C.
On June 1, 2020, amid the George Floyd protests in Washington, D.C., security forces deployed tear gas and other riot control tactics to forcefully clear Lafayette Square and surrounding streets of peaceful protesters to create a path for President Trump and senior administration officials to walk from the White House to St. John's Episcopal Church for a photo op. Just before visiting the church, Trump delivered a speech urging state governors to quell violent protests by using the National Guard to "dominate the streets", or he would otherwise "deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem".


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Activities in Washington D.C.
A number of law enforcement agencies were involved in the clearing operation, including personnel from the U.S. Park Police (USPP), U.S. Secret Service, Federal Bureau of Prisons, Arlington County Police Department, U.S. Marshals Service, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). D.C. National Guard Military Police were present but did not participate.


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Activities in Washington D.C.
On June 3, armed camouflaged individuals were seen on the streets of Washington D.C. The individuals refused to identify themselves to journalists. A representative of the National Guard later identified the individuals as employees of the Bureau of Prisons.


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Activities in Washington D.C., Lawsuits and investigations
Three days after the Lafayette Square clearing, a group of protesters and Black Lives Matter D.C., represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, filed a federal lawsuit against Trump and Attorney General William Barr, claiming they conspired to violate, and did violate, their constitutional rights under the First and Fourteenth Amendments. Other officials, including Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Secret Service Director James M. Murray, were also named as defendants.


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Activities in Washington D.C., Lawsuits and investigations
A second lawsuit was filed by three protesters on June 11 against law enforcement and Trump administration officials asserting that the forced removal represented a "gross abuse of executive power" that violated their First, Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights.


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Activities in Washington D.C., Lawsuits and investigations
On June 22, Mark Greenblatt, Inspector General for the United States Department of the Interior, launched an investigation into the June 1 event following requests from several lawmakers.


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Activities in Washington D.C., Lawsuits and investigations
On July 23, Michael Horowitz, the Department of Justice Inspector General, announced that he was investigating the role of the Department of Justice and its law enforcement personnel in responding to protests in Washington during the previous two months, "examining the training and instruction that was provided to the DOJ law enforcement personnel; compliance with applicable identification requirements, rules of engagement, and legal authorities; and adherence to DOJ policies regarding the use of less-lethal munitions, chemical agents, and other uses of force.” He added that he would coordinate with Inspector General Greenblatt's office on the Lafayette Square investigation.


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Activities in Washington D.C., Reactions
The clearing of demonstrators from Lafayette Square was widely condemned as excessive and an affront to the First Amendment right to freedom of assembly by religious leaders and former military leaders, among others. D.C. Attorney General Karl A. Racine referred to Trump's actions as that of a "tyrannical president".


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Activities in Washington D.C., Reactions
Following the event, Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer issued a joint statement, reading in part, "at a time when our country cries out for unification, this President is ripping it apart."


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Activities in Portland, Oregon
At the start of July, forces from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the U.S. Marshal Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the Federal Protection Service arrived in Portland, appearing at the U.S. courthouse, where they fired pepper spray or tear gas at protesters who got too close to the building.


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Activities in Portland, Oregon
According to the Washington Post, White House officials have stated that Trump became interested in federal operations against the protesters, seeing them as a means of underscoring his law-and-order message, as "the White House had long wanted to amplify strife in cities," and “It was about getting viral online content.” DHS refers to its deployment in Portland as Operation Diligent Valor.


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Activities in Portland, Oregon
Protester Donavan La Bella was shot in the head with a projectile fired by federal agents in Portland on July 11. He suffered facial injuries and skull fractures, requiring reconstructive surgery. On the same day, a man hit a federal agent in the head and shoulder with a hammer and was arrested.


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Activities in Portland, Oregon
In the early hours of July 15, protester Mark Pettibone was walking home from a protest in Portland when an unmarked minivan stopped. A friend who had been walking with him recorded on videotape as multiple armed individuals clad in camouflage jumped out of the van; they apprehended Pettibone without identifying themselves or stating a reason for their actions. According to Pettibone, the camouflage-clad individuals placed him in the unmarked van and blindfolded him using his own beanie hat.


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Activities in Portland, Oregon
Pettibone says the van then drove around in the city and took him to a building that he later learned after his release was the federal courthouse. There he was photographed, searched, placed in a cell, and Mirandized. Pettibone declined questioning and invoked his right to an attorney; he was released about 90 minutes later. He said he was not given any written record of his arrest or citation for any alleged crime. The U.S. Marshals Service issued a statement denying their agency was involved in Pettibone's apprehension, but U.S. Customs and Border Protection later acknowledged that its agents were involved.


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Activities in Portland, Oregon
On July 15, video was recorded showing several unidentified armed individuals wearing camouflage fatigues physically apprehending another demonstrator and taking him away in an unmarked van. On July 18, the Portland Tribune filmed federal agents as they repeatedly struck and pepper sprayed a protester while he stood "as solidly as a rock". Chris David, a 54-year-old graduate of the United States Naval Academy and former Navy officer clad in Navy apparel, was a newcomer to the protest, reportedly drawn by recent stories of "kidnappings" by militarized federal agents. According to David, he approached federal agents and asked them how their actions squared with their oath to the Constitution. At that point, he was struck five times by double-handed blows from clubs, causing multiple broken bones and requiring surgery.


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Activities in Portland, Oregon
On July 21 Richard Cline, deputy director of the Federal Protective Service, told reporters that three officers had suffered eye injuries when protesters deliberately aimed lasers at their eyes, and that the officers "may not recover sight in those eyes". The report was later repeated by White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, blaming "so-called peaceful protesters".


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Activities in Portland, Oregon
On July 22,  Portland mayor Ted Wheeler traveled to the protest site to address the assembled crowds and engage in a "listening session". Wheeler's session was interrupted when he was tear gassed by federal agents.


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Activities in Portland, Oregon
On July 27, the Trump administration announced that additional federal agents would be sent to reinforce the Portland Courthouse. However, under a deal worked out between Governor Kate Brown and the Trump administration, federal agents withdrew to standby locations on July 30, while state and local law enforcement forces took over responsibility for protecting the courthouse; they made no arrests and mostly stayed out of sight. A DHS spokesperson said federal officers would remain in the area at least until August 3.


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Activities in Portland, Oregon
On July 31, Democratic members of the Senate Intelligence Committee sent a letter to acting Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Intelligence and Analysis Brian Murphy inquiring about federal surveillance activities after The Washington Post acquired a DHS Open Source Intelligence Report reportedly revealing that Homeland Security had access to and scrutinized Telegram app messages posted by Portland protesters. It was not clear how the messages were acquired and the messages apparently did not discuss violent activity, only tactics on how to evade law enforcement during demonstrations. A day prior, Chad Wolf had ordered the DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis to stop collecting information on journalists after a separate Washington Post report.


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Activities in Portland, Oregon
On August 26, Federal Protective Service officers and other DHS personnel used tear gas and impact munitions to disperse a crowd of demonstrators from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in South Waterfront.


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Activities in Portland, Oregon, Lawsuits and investigations
Border Patrol agents in Portland were not "specifically trained in riot control or mass demonstrations", according to an internal DHS memo.


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Activities in Portland, Oregon, Lawsuits and investigations
The president's actions raised "the prospect of a constitutional crisis" according to the Associated Press.


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Activities in Portland, Oregon, Lawsuits and investigations
The Oregon chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union had already filed a lawsuit against local entities on June 28, claiming that police targeted and attacked journalists and legal observers, and on July 17, the ACLU added the Department of Homeland Security and the United States Marshals Service as defendants in that lawsuit. The group also called for a special prosecutor to investigate civil rights violations by federal agents.


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Activities in Portland, Oregon, Lawsuits and investigations
On July 23, federal judge Michael Simon issued a 14-day temporary restraining order blocking federal law enforcement "from arresting or using force against journalists or legal observers unless there is probable cause, ... [ and stating] that journalists and legal observers will not be required to leave an area if federal agents issue an order to disperse, and that federal officers can't seize a journalist's press pass or equipment unless they're being lawfully arrested."


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Activities in Portland, Oregon, Lawsuits and investigations
Attorney General of Oregon Ellen Rosenblum filed a lawsuit against the federal government and "John Does 1-10", the still-unidentified federal agents, alleging that they had seized Oregonians without probable cause. The lawsuit requested a restraining order to be issued against U.S. Customs and Border Protection, DHS, the U.S. Federal Protective Service and U.S. Marshals Service to stop them from making further arrests in Portland. It alleged violations of civil rights by arresting and detaining people without a warrant and denying them due process in violation of the Fourth and Fifth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Activities in Portland, Oregon, Lawsuits and investigations
On July 27, Protect Democracy and Perkins Coie filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of Wall of Moms, Don't Shoot Portland, and several protesters against the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Federal Protective Service, the Department of Justice, and the heads of these federal agencies. The suit accuses the defendants of violating the plaintiffs' First Amendment rights and using excessive force, and it also claims that several of the acting officials haven't been confirmed for their roles and are overstepping their legal authority. The suit seeks to limit federal law enforcement to protecting federal property and to bar them from using specific actions, such as excessive crowd-control measures and custodial detentions without probable cause.


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Activities in Portland, Oregon, Lawsuits and investigations
U.S. Attorney for Oregon Billy J. Williams requested that the DHS Office of Inspector General conduct an investigation into the actions of DHS personnel.


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Activities in Portland, Oregon, Lawsuits and investigations
On July 23, Michael Horowitz, the Department of Justice Inspector General, announced that he and the Inspector General's office at the Department of Homeland Security would be investigating the federal law enforcement responses in Portland, "examining the training and instruction that was provided to the DOJ law enforcement personnel; compliance with applicable identification requirements, rules of engagement, and legal authorities; and adherence to DOJ policies regarding the use of less-lethal munitions, chemical agents, and other uses of force."


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Activities in Portland, Oregon, Reactions
The Governor of Oregon, Kate Brown, said the actions of the federal agents were a "blatant abuse of power" and reported having told Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf that "the federal government should remove all federal officers from our streets" and accused him of "putting both Oregonians and local law enforcement officers in harm's way". In an NBC News editorial, senior U.S. Senator for Oregon Ron Wyden described the federal officers as an "occupying army—complete with fatigues, military-style equipment and tactics that are utterly unacceptable in an American city."


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Activities in Portland, Oregon, Reactions
Oregon's junior U.S. Senator, Jeff Merkley, condemned "deploying paramilitary forces with no identification indicating who they are or who they work for" and demanded "not only that these acts end, but also that they remove their forces immediately from our state." Kentucky Senator Rand Paul stated, "Local law enforcement can and should be handling these situations in our cities but there is no place for federal troops or unidentified federal agents rounding people up at will." Massachusetts Congressman Jim McGovern referred to Trump as a "dictator".


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Activities in Portland, Oregon, Reactions
The chairs of the House Committee on Homeland Security, the Judiciary Committee, and the Committee on Oversight and Reform jointly authored a letter calling for an investigation, writing: "Citizens are concerned that the Administration has deployed a secret police force, not to investigate crimes but to intimidate individuals it views as political adversaries".


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Activities in Portland, Oregon, Reactions
According to a Pentagon spokesperson, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper was troubled by reports of unidentified officers in militarized garb.


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Activities in Portland, Oregon, Reactions
Cornell University professor of constitutional law Michael C. Dorf said, "The idea that there's a threat to a federal courthouse and the federal authorities are going to swoop in and do whatever they want to do without any cooperation and coordination with state and local authorities is extraordinary outside the context of a civil war." Attorney Juan Chavez, the Northwest vice president of the National Lawyers Guild, told Oregon Public Broadcasting in response to the Pettibone case, "It's like stop and frisk meets Guantánamo Bay ... It sounds more like abduction. It sounds like they're kidnapping people off the streets."


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Activities in Portland, Oregon, Reactions
Tom Ridge, DHS's founding Secretary and a former governor of Pennsylvania, decried the deployment, saying DHS "was not established to be the president's personal militia". Ridge further opined "it would be a cold day in hell before I would consent to an uninvited, unilateral intervention into one of my cities." Former DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson likewise condemned the deployment and argued that public concerns were not an overreaction. Former DHS Senior Official John Sandweg argued the deployment "is so damaging to the brands of the agencies. It guts public safety." Some DHS employees, speaking on condition of anonymity, decried the deployment as "blatantly unconstitutional and an embarrassment to the agency and the career civil servants who work here."


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Activities in Portland, Oregon, Reactions
DHS Acting Secretary Chad Wolf dismissed criticism saying, "I don't need invitations by the state, state mayors or state governors to do our job. We're going to do that, whether they like us there or not," and "If you are a violent rioter looking to inflict damage on federal property or law enforcement officers, you need to find another line of work ... We will not retreat, we will continue to protect our facilities and our law enforcement officers."


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Activities in Portland, Oregon, Reactions
Wolf further defended Homeland Security's actions during the Portland protests at a Senate panel on August 6, denouncing local officials' lack of cooperation as "dangerous" and dismissing two former DHS secretaries' criticisms that federal agents had "no respect for ... the wishes of local authorities" as "dead wrong". He contended that DHS and DOJ officers were "abandoned" by city officials and that the "Cooperation and assistance our federal officers receive in any other city around the country did not exist in Portland."


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Activities in Portland, Oregon, Reactions
The Intercept noted the use of smoke grenades containing Hexachloroethane particularly noting that "Protesters who were exposed to chemical gas ... report ... effects not usually associated with tear gas".


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Activities in Seattle
In advance of the July 4 holiday, CBP sent agents in support of FPS forces to the Henry M. Jackson Federal Building in downtown Seattle. CBP deployed 50 total agents that were then distributed among Seattle, WA; Portland, OR; and Washington, D.C. State and city officials and the Seattle Police Department were not informed of the activity. They did not make any arrests in Seattle. DHS sent BORTAC agents and ICE tactical officers to both Seattle and Portland. The Washington Post reported on July 20 that the federal forces, sent in anticipation of clashes on Independence Day, had mostly been withdrawn from Seattle.


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Activities in Seattle
On July 23, and unspecified number of CBP agents were sent to an undisclosed location in the Seattle area. Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan learned of the deployment from the agency late in the day on July 23, despite an earlier claim from DHS Acting Secretary Chad Wolf, who told her the agency had no plans to send federal agents to the city and that he would inform her of any changes.


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Activities in Seattle
On July 25, thousands of protesters gathered in Seattle (one of several U.S. cities) where demonstrations took place in solidarity with Portland, Oregon after tensions escalated due to the Trump administration's decision to deploy federal agents against the wishes of local officials. The federal agents were not a visible presence in the protests on Saturday, where city and county police arrested 45 people.


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Activities in Seattle
The following week, the federal security detail sent to Seattle was withdrawn, following continued pressure from local and Washington state officials.


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Activities in Seattle, Reactions
Washington Governor Jay Inslee responded to the deployment in a tweet stating "President Trump sent federal officers to Seattle because he is itching for a confrontation. He wants attention. We shouldn't give him either. Keep it peaceful, keep the attention where it belongs – on building a better, more just Washington for everyone." Washington U.S. Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell co-sponsored a bill to limit the activities of federal agents to federal property and the immediate vicinity, unless requested by the mayor and governor, and to prevent unmarked vehicles from being used in arrests.


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Activities in Seattle, Reactions
In response to the withdrawal of federal officers, King County Executive Dow Constantine said the "apparent swift departure of Trump's uninvited and unneeded federal forces is a welcome turn of events."


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Operation Legend
The President's action of deploying federal law enforcement to various U.S. cities was code named Operation Legend. (The operation was named after, although not capitalized the same as, LeGend Taliferro, a Kansas City-native child victim of gun violence.)


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Operation Legend
On July 8, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that federal law enforcement would first be dispatched to Kansas City, Missouri. The federal assistance was at the request of governor Mike Parson, although Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas stated that he was neither consulted nor notified about the operation. Kansas City activist Skyler B. Harrington from the organization Black Rainbow wrote in an editorial, "We are on the verge of a federal occupation in Kansas City—and you should be alarmed... We are the guinea pig for President Donald Trump's promise to 'take over cities'... Healing our communities has never been and never will be achieved through increased policing... We must fundamentally divest from our broken policing system to invest in our communities."


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Operation Legend
Attorney General Barr directed agents from the FBI, U.S. Marshal Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to help local law enforcement to quell a "surge of violent crime." Agents were expected to be on the ground by July 18.


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Operation Legend
On July 20, the first federal arrest under Operation Legend was announced. That same day, Trump publicly praised the Portland policing and said he may send "more federal law enforcement" to "New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit, Baltimore, Oakland, and other cities to deal with unrest". Trump said, "I'm gonna do something, that I can tell you, because we're not going to let New York and Chicago and Philadelphia and Detroit and Baltimore and all of these—Oakland is a mess. We're not going to let this happen in our country." Trump further said the listed cities were "all run by liberal Democrats".


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Operation Legend
On July 21, U. S. Attorney Timothy Garrison specified that an additional 225 federal agents from the FBI, the DEA, the USMS, and the ATF would join 400 agents already working and living in the Kansas City area. Garrison argued that the operation will not bear any resemblance to the those in Portland, insisting that agents will be clearly identifiable.


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Operation Legend
On July 22, President Trump announced that forces would be deployed to Chicago and Albuquerque as part of Operation Legend. In an interview with Sean Hannity the next day, Trump added that if invited, "We will go into all of the cities, any of the cities. We're ready. We will put in 50,000, 60,000 people that really know what they're doing. And they're strong. They're tough. And we could solve these problems so fast."


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Operation Legend
On July 29, the Department of Justice announced that Operation Legend had expanded to Cleveland, Detroit, and Milwaukee. More than two dozen federal officers were sent to each city from a combination of the FBI, DEA, ATF, and the U.S. Marshals to work on existing local law enforcement efforts aimed at combating gang violence, gun crimes, and drug trafficking. The expansion also included several millions dollars in funding, some of it going to hire additional local law enforcement officers.


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Operation Legend, Reactions, State
The deployment was jointly condemned by the Mayors of Portland, Chicago, Atlanta, Seattle, D.C., and Kansas City. Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot condemned the plan, arguing "What we do not need, and what will certainly make our community less safe is secret, federal agents". On July 27 mayors Wheeler, Durkan, Lightfoot, Lucas, Keller and Muriel Bowser of Washington, D.C. jointly called on Congress to make it illegal for the federal government to deploy militarized agents to cities against those cities' wishes, describing the deployment as an "egregious use of federal force on cities over the objections of local authorities".


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Operation Legend, Reactions, State
The Oakland Police Department stated it had not requested federal assistance, and the San Francisco chapter of the National Lawyers Guild denounced the plan as "not only unconstitutional but a dangerous escalation towards fascism."


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Operation Legend, Reactions, State
Philadelphia's mayor Jim Kenney denounced the plan and said his city would "use all available means to resist such a wrong-headed effort and abuse of power",  and district attorney Larry Krasner issued a statement warning that "Anyone, including federal law enforcement, who unlawfully assaults and kidnaps people will face criminal charges".


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Operation Legend, Reactions, State
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said of a potential deployment, "It would backfire, it wouldn't make us safer, and we would immediately take action in court to stop it... From my point of view, this would be yet another example of illegal and unconstitutional actions by the President."


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Operation Legend, Reactions, State
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in a news conference on July 23 said that during a phone call with the President on July 22 that both were able to agree that no federal action would be necessary to address the rising crime rates in New York City, and that if Trump had changed his mind he would talk with Cuomo first.


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Operation Legend, Reactions, State
Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller opposed the expansion, saying "There's no place for Trump's secret police in our city";  Albuquerque Police Chief Mike Geier likewise opposed the plan. U.S. Senator from New Mexico Martin Heinrich condemned the expansion, writing:  "If we can learn anything from Portland, it's that we don't need this kind of 'help' from the White House. The President is currently using federal law enforcement agents like a domestic paramilitary force. That's precisely how fascism begins and none of us should ever encourage or accept it."


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Operation Legend, Reactions, Federal
United States House of Representatives Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer released a statement saying, "In deploying federal law enforcement to patrol American cities like Portland and Chicago and silence those exercising their First Amendment rights, Donald Trump is drawing from the playbook of the worst dictators of the past century.


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Operation Legend, Reactions, Federal
Like others we have seen in some of the darkest periods of history, he is perpetuating a myth of disorder and mob violence–which is not occurring—to justify his deployment of heavily armed, anonymous, military-style agents into our communities who pull peaceful citizens into unmarked vehicles and detain them without lawful cause. These actions are never justified in what is supposed to be the world's greatest and freest democratic republic."


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Operation Legend, Reactions, Federal
House Judiciary Committee chairman Jerrold Nadler said, "The legal basis for this use of force has never been explained...it is not at all clear that the Attorney General and the Acting Secretary are authorized to deploy federal law enforcement officers in this manner." U.S. House Homeland Security chairman Bennie Thompson and U.S. House Oversight and Reform chairwoman Carolyn Maloney wrote a letter calling for investigation into the deployment. House and Senate Democrats revealed plans for the "Preventing Authoritarian Policing Tactics on America's Streets Act" requiring federal officers to identify themselves and limit their activities to directly nearby federal property. House Democrats also included a requirement for identification in the year's National Defense Authorization Act.


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Legality
Boston College constitutional law professor Kent Greenfield said, "The president is not the king... The president does not have the ability to require states to enforce their laws in a certain way, or to elbow aside their law enforcement abilities." University of Notre Dame law professor Jimmy Gurulé said, "There is no federal statute agents are enforcing by engaging with protesters. My concern is whether their protection of federal property is a ruse to interfere with protesters' free speech."


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Legality
Drexel University law professor Anil Kahlan said, "The rhetoric is basically labeling people who are fellow citizens as domestic enemies and then deploying these paramilitary forces to aggressively engage in a show of force against them... There are serious, substantive legal concerns with these activities." Rutgers University professor of law and director of Rutgers' Constitutional Rights Clinic Alexis Karteron said, "Federal troops descending on American cities, that is very troubling, outside of historic practices, and almost certainly illegal."


2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Legality
Harvard legal scholar Andrew Crespo analyzed on Lawfare, "The argument... is that these [federal] agents complied with the Fourth Amendment because they did not need probable cause to put [protestors] in the van in the first place. This assertion is glaringly wrong. It has been glaringly wrong for at least forty years, ever since the Supreme Court's opinion in Dunaway v. New York."


2020 detainment of Hong Kong residents at sea by China
In a post on Chinese social media dated August 26, 2020, the China Coast Guard claimed that Guangdong authorities had intercepted a speedboat on August 23 under the suspicion of illegal border crossing, and that more than ten people had been detained. The released coordinates put the incident in the South China Sea, approximately 78 kilometres from Hong Kong Island.


2020 detainment of Hong Kong residents at sea by China
On August 27, The Guardian cited two Hong Kong news outlets which reported, based on unnamed sources, that in the incident, a total of 12 people had been detained en route to Taiwan, of whom at least ten were Hong Kong residents. Referring to the same sources, the passengers had included activist Andy Li, who had been arrested on August 10 under charges related to the national security law and released on bail. Hong Kong police chief Chris Tang told media on August 27 that he had heard the reports on the detention, and that the force was actively seeking information from the mainland authorities.


2020 detainment of Hong Kong residents at sea by China
Chinese authorities only released scant information on the situation of the detainees. On September 13, Chinese authorities announced that the detained had been brought to the Yantian Detention Centre in Shenzhen and put under "compulsory criminal detention". In a Twitter message from the same day, mainland government spokesperson Hua Chunying referred to the detainees as "elements" who had intended to separate Hong Kong from mainland China. Authorities repeatedly denied the detainees access to their families' appointed lawyers. Detention authorities claimed that the detainees had accepted government-appointed lawyers, which was denied by the families. Secretary of Security John Lee implied in statements made around that time that the Hong Kong government would not interfere with mainland law enforcement in the case.


2020 detainment of Hong Kong residents at sea by China
On December 16, Yantian District authorities announced that a trial hearing was to be held in which the two oldest detainees, Quinn Moon and Tang Kai-yin, would be prosecuted for organising others to cross the border illegally, and eight prosecuted for crossing the border illegally. A trial hearing for the two underage defendants would be closed off to the public; they were returned to Hong Kong police on December 28, where they were facing extra charges for allegedly absconding.


2020 detainment of Hong Kong residents at sea by China
At a December 28 trial – where no relatives, Hong Kong media, or foreign ambassador representatives were allowed to audit the hearing, contrary to what the court said –, eight of the ten defendants of age were sentenced to seven months of prison terms for illegal border crossing. The two oldest detainees, Quinn Moon and Tang Kai-yin were sentenced to terms of two and three years, respectively. The eight defendants of age were returned to Hong Kong police on March 22, 2021. They were held in quarantine upon arrival while local courts began hearings on their cases, with Andy Li being charged under the national security law.


2020 detainment of Hong Kong residents at sea by China
The incident gained attention in Hong Kong and internationally, with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo releasing a press statement on September 11 in which he expressed his concern both about the detainees' welfare as well as their lack of access to family-appointed lawyers. In late December, the European Union demanded fair trials and the release of the 12 detainees.


2020 detainment of Hong Kong residents at sea by China, Presumed identities of the detainees
In its initial notice, the Guangdong Coast Guard released only the surnames of two of the detainees, Li and Tang, but no other information about names. The South China Morning Post reported that activist Andy Li was the Li referred to. As the full names were first published by pro-Beijing media Wen Wei Po, even some family members had doubts about their veracity. Meanwhile, the Hong Kong Security Bureau said that it had received advice from its mainland counterpart that the ages of the detainees ranged from 16 to 33. As of October 3, no one from Hong Kong has confirmed their identities. Two of the detained have British National Overseas passports, while a third has Hong Kong and Portuguese permanent residencies.


2020 detainment of Hong Kong residents at sea by China, Background
These events were speculated by various newspapers, as not much information has been released or could be verified.


2020 detainment of Hong Kong residents at sea by China, Background
Although the capture happened on August 23, no information was released to the public by the Chinese coastguards until August 26. The social media post on August 26 only mentioned the GPS location, the time of arrest, and the number of Hong Kong residents detained.


2020 detainment of Hong Kong residents at sea by China, Background
On August 28, details about the presumed detainees were released to the public by Wen Wei Po, citing "unnamed sources". According to Radio Free Asia, the arrestees were presumably charged of "unlawful border crossing (into China territories)" and are currently in custody in mainland China. The media-published (not officially published by authorities) arrestee names include several Hong Kong pro-democracy activists, some of whom were earlier charged with protest-related crimes by the Hong Kong Police, and one under the new national security law.


2020 detainment of Hong Kong residents at sea by China, Background
According to state-affiliated newspapers, the 12 individuals set out at around 7am on August 23 from a dock located in eastern Hong Kong's Sai Kung. It is reported that they originally planned to reach Taiwan-controlled Pratas, also known as Dongsha Island, then change ship to reach Pingtung County. They were stopped and captured at around 9am at alleged GPS location (21°54'00''N, 114°53'00''E ), a location, if factually stated by Chinese authorities, that is technically not owned by China, but within its contiguous zone.


2020 detainment of Hong Kong residents at sea by China, Responses, Hong Kong and China Government responses, August 27–28, 2020
Hong Kong Police denied any cooperation with Chinese authorities in the arrest.


2020 detainment of Hong Kong residents at sea by China, Responses, Hong Kong and China Government responses, August 27–28, 2020
The Hong Kong Security Bureau confirmed having received information relating to the detainees from the Chinese government. The bureau promised to assist family members and detainees.


2020 detainment of Hong Kong residents at sea by China, Responses, Hong Kong and China Government responses, August 27–28, 2020
In Guangdong, the province of China where the coastguards were based, the public safety division and a spokesman of the provincial authorities declined to provide more details.


2020 detainment of Hong Kong residents at sea by China, Responses, Hong Kong and China Government responses, September 1
Chief Executive Carrie Lam said in a press conference that the Hong Kong government would do its part to protect Hong Kong citizens, but if illegal activities occurred in another judiciary region, Hong Kong could not intervene.


2020 detainment of Hong Kong residents at sea by China, Responses, Hong Kong and China Government responses, September 4
The human rights lawyers Lu Siwei and Ren Quanniu, who had been appointed by the detainee's family members, were denied meeting access. Both of them reported that Chinese officials had attempted to dissuade them from pursuing the case.


2020 detainment of Hong Kong residents at sea by China, Responses, Hong Kong and China Government responses, September 13
After the detainees' family press conference from the day before, in which they had pleaded for intervention by the Hong Kong government and possible extradition, Yantian detention center officially confirmed, for the first time, that the 12 detainees were indeed located in Yantian. Meanwhile, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying publicly stated on Twitter that the 12 detainees were criminals trying to "separate Hong Kong from China", a more serious allegation than the "illegal border crossing", and a crime punishable under the Hong Kong national security law. The Hong Kong government reaffirmed its stance not to interfere with China's jurisdiction, claiming that the relevant crime "falls within the jurisdiction of the mainland and the special administrative region government respects and will not interfere with law enforcement actions."


2020 detainment of Hong Kong residents at sea by China, Responses, Hong Kong and China Government responses, September 19
Secretary of Security John Lee acknowledged in a TVB interview that Hong Kong authorities had only been informed of the capture five days after, and claimed that all 12 detainees were in good health. He further claimed that the detainees had already chosen their lawyers provided by China. Separately on a radio interview, Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung Kin-chung said that "Hong Kong’s Immigration Department, and the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Guangdong had communicated with the families 80 times since the arrests" but claimed that their hands were tied.


2020 detainment of Hong Kong residents at sea by China, Responses, Hong Kong and China Government responses, September 26
The Hong Kong government issued a press release informing the public that the 12 detainees were now approved to be "arrested". Hong Kong Police also released a report with some data such as speed and coordinates of the boat to clarify the public's concern. According to criminal law in China, the maximum number of days of detention before sending them to the normal criminal court process – a certain form of incommunicado detention – or release on bail is 37 days.


2020 detainment of Hong Kong residents at sea by China, Responses, Hong Kong and China Government responses, September 30
At the end of the 37-day legal limit for detention without further action, two of the 12 were formally charged with organizing smuggling and the remaining 10 individuals were charged with "illegal border crossing".


2020 detainment of Hong Kong residents at sea by China, Responses, Hong Kong and China Government responses, October 10
Hong Kong police arrested a group of nine people who allegedly had provided financial and other assistance to the detainees before their voyage, and for after their arrival in Taiwan.


2020 detainment of Hong Kong residents at sea by China, Responses, Hong Kong and China Government responses, October 12
Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam made clear that she "no longer wish[es] to discuss matters related to these 12 individuals" when asked by a journalist in a press conference on that day about her effort to safeguard the 12 individuals as she was set to meet with Chinese Communist Party general secretary Xi Jinping in Shenzhen.


2020 detainment of Hong Kong residents at sea by China, Responses, Hong Kong and China Government responses, October 23
A request in the Legislative Council to put the 12 detainees on the next meeting agenda, and to have Security Secretary John Lee report on the situation of the detainees as well as the support given to them and their families, was voted down by the pro-Beijing majority.


2020 detainment of Hong Kong residents at sea by China, Responses, Hong Kong and China Government responses, October 28
Activists familiar with the matter told reporters in a group chat that at least five family-appointed lawyers had received verbal warnings from various levels of Chinese justice bureaus to drop the work for their clients. Prior to this, on October 22, five family-appointed lawyers had visited the detention centre but were again refused entry on the grounds that the detainees had already been assigned two lawyers; family-appointed lawyer Lu Siwei suspected that these might be government-appointed.


2020 detainment of Hong Kong residents at sea by China, Responses, Hong Kong and China Government responses, November 20
It was reported that seven out of the 12 detainees had written letters to their families, with the earliest dated October 13. There were suspicions that the handwritten letters, which stressed that the detainees were treated well, had been dictated by authorities.


2020 detainment of Hong Kong residents at sea by China, Responses, Hong Kong and China Government responses, November 27
Police in the Yantian district of Shenzhen said in a posting on Weibo that they had completed their investigation into the case of the 12 detainees, and that they would be sent to the Yantian District People's Procuratorate for "examination and prosecution". There has not been a visit granted since the capture.


2020 detainment of Hong Kong residents at sea by China, Responses, Hong Kong and China Government responses, December 16
The Chinese government released the names of the now-confirmed detainees' names along with the charges the government was pressing. It said that the two underage detainees' trials would not be open to the public.


2020 detainment of Hong Kong residents at sea by China, Responses, Hong Kong and China Government responses, December 25
Chinese government officials advised the family members that trials would begin three days later, on December 28.


2020 detainment of Hong Kong residents at sea by China, Responses, Hong Kong and China Government responses, December 28
At the trial of 10 of the 12 detainees, staff maintained that it was open to the public, but immediately followed this with the advice that the gallery was full. On these grounds, representatives from the United States (which had applied for an audit in accordance with established procedures), the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Portugal, Australia and the Netherlands were denied access to the hearing. Eight of the ten defendants of age were sentenced to seven months of prison terms for illegal border crossing. The two oldest detainees, Quinn Moon and Tang Kai-yin were sentenced to terms of two and three years, respectively.


2020 detainment of Hong Kong residents at sea by China, Responses, Hong Kong and China Government responses, December 30
Two defendants aged 17 and 18 years were returned to Hong Kong by mainland authorities. The Yantian People's district court said that they had admitted wrongdoing, and that it would not persecute them.


2020 detainment of Hong Kong residents at sea by China, Responses, Hong Kong and China Government responses, Aftermath
The eight activists of age were returned to Hong Kong police on March 22 and charged by local courts. It was announced on March 24 that security law charges had been laid against Andy Li. The Apple Daily reported on March 28 that according to its sources, Li had been transferred to solitary confinement at a psychiatric hospital. On March 30, a lawyer representing Li appeared in West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts, with Li absent as he was still in quarantine isolation. An associate of the lawyer confirmed that they had met Li, but did not disclose information on Li's whereabouts. The family asserted that they had no knowledge of the lawyer.


2020 detainment of Hong Kong residents at sea by China, Responses, Hong Kong and China Government responses, Aftermath
On September 2, eight of the activists, including the two who had been transferred to Hong Kong on December, appeared in court on charges of trying to pervert the course of justice. It was reported that one of them intended to plead guilty.


2020 detainment of Hong Kong residents at sea by China, Responses, Presumed detainees' families responses, September 12
After 20 days with no news, six of the 12 families held a joint press conference with the help of politicians Owen Chow, Eddie Chu, and James To. The families denounced the Hong Kong government's reluctant approach to assist and the government's refusal to meet with the families. As they sought international support to put pressure on China to follow international human rights protocols, they also asked the Hong Kong government to help negotiate their demands with the Chinese government. The four demands include allowing prescribed medications to be delivered and safely administered to the detainees, allowing phone calls of detainees with families, declining "state-mandated lawyers" assigned by Chinese government, and releasing these individuals to Hong Kong for a fair trial.


2020 detainment of Hong Kong residents at sea by China, Responses, Presumed detainees' families responses, September 20
Families of the detainees continued to accuse the Hong Kong government as it had "only shirked responsibility and confused the public with mere excuses". Family members asked the Hong Kong government to provide clear and accurate evidence of the maritime radar location, and a recent photo of each detainee, in order to let the captured know the families had appointed lawyers for them.


2020 detainment of Hong Kong residents at sea by China, Responses, Presumed detainees' families responses, September 30
Four family members along with several lawmakers went to the Hong Kong Liaison Office to petition. They accused the Hong Kong government of lying to the public, and asked that Security Secretary and Chief Secretary for Administration to allow meetings of the detainees with the families. To date, six lawyers have withdrawn from the case, 13 lawyers were pressured by the Chinese government not to take up the case, and 10 other lawyers were denied access to the detainees.


2020 detainment of Hong Kong residents at sea by China, Responses, Presumed detainees' families responses, October 22
Detainees' families continue to try to reach officials at Yantian detention center. Authorities refused meeting requests and claimed that all detainees have been appointed lawyers. Family lawyers further raised concerns about the legality of "state-appointed" lawyers to the only underage detainee.


2020 detainment of Hong Kong residents at sea by China, Responses, Presumed detainees' families responses, November 21
Family members and supporters released blue and white balloons written with the detainees' names and well-wishing messages at a peak on Kat O island, an island still within Hong Kong territory but close to Shenzhen's Yantian detention center. Hong Kong coastguards later arrived and alleged violation of social gathering ordinance.


2020 detainment of Hong Kong residents at sea by China, Responses, Presumed detainees' families responses, December 12
After the alleged letters penned by the detainees arrived to their Hong Kong families, today the families held a press conference claiming that they received phone calls from self-proclaimed "lawyers of the detainees". The Mandarin-speaking callers allegedly asked family members for details of the detainees' Hong Kong arrest and charges, and not to mention the names of the "government-appointed lawyers".


2020 detainment of Hong Kong residents at sea by China, Responses, Hong Kong residents' responses, September
On September 2, a Sha Tin District representative initiated a Google Form petition pleading that the Hong Kong government made sure the 12 detainees be released and returned to Hong Kong, citing precarious human rights practices by the Chinese authorities and the scarcity of information. On the same day, another Hong Kong citizen started a White House petition that gained more than 100,000 signatures to bring awareness of this incident to the United States.


2020 detainment of Hong Kong residents at sea by China, Responses, Hong Kong residents' responses, September
Netizens started a hashtag "#save12hkyouths", hoping to spread the awareness of the "black-box operation" of Chinese government to social media.


2020 detainment of Hong Kong residents at sea by China, Responses, Hong Kong residents' responses, September
Throughout the month of September, over a hundred Hong Kong district representatives set up street booths to raise awareness of these 12 individuals. Police often interfered.


2020 detainment of Hong Kong residents at sea by China, Responses, Hong Kong residents' responses, September
Beginning September 22, students from University of Hong Kong set up booths as they returned to the campus to bring awareness of the incident and collect well-wishes postcards. On October 1, as Hong Kong residents celebrated the annual mid-autumn festival, district representatives and various pro-democracy group set up street booths to voice their support of the detainees.


2020 detainment of Hong Kong residents at sea by China, Responses, Hong Kong residents' responses, October
On October 2, a few Hong Kong supporters hiked for two hours to reach the top of Lion Rock, a symbolic Hong Kong mountain top, to showcase a "Save 12" neon-light sign.


2020 detainment of Hong Kong residents at sea by China, Responses, Hong Kong residents' responses, October
On October 7, a vertical protest banner was unfurled on Kowloon Peak with the phrase "Unlawful Detainment; Release the 12" (「禁錮無理 釋放12子」). Meanwhile, Hong Kong citizens continued to bring awareness by putting out posters and banners.


2020 detainment of Hong Kong residents at sea by China, Responses, Hong Kong residents' responses, October
A virtual rally by the "Save 12 Hong Kong Youths" concern group on October 25, livestreamed over Facebook, had almost 320,000 viewers joining. In his opening statement, activist Owen Chow suggested that Hong Kong authorities had conspired with their mainland counterparts to send Hongkongers to China. Previously on October 6,  the city's Chief Executive Carrie Lam had ruled out any involvement by Hong Kong police in the interception.