Some academics at the forefront of Hong Kong's fight for more democracy say they have become targets of death threats or other intimidation as the former British colony remains nearly paralyzed by the biggest protests since it returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
Hong Kong has freedoms not enjoyed on the mainland, but Beijing last month rejected demands for free elections to choose the city's next leader, prompting outrage and protests by tens of thousands of people, mostly students, who have blockaded roads in the global financial hub.
Riot police fired tear gas and pepper spray at large-scale rallies over the weekend. Although Monday was relatively peaceful, protesters were on edge on Tuesday, fearing a new round of police action.
Chan Kin-man, a professor of sociology at the Chinese University who has been on the front lines of the protests, said he has a stack of envelopes containing death threats scrawled in Chinese characters. "I understood that once I joined this movement, they would attack me and treat me as an enemy," Chan said, his head shaved in protest against Beijing's decision to rule out free elections for the city's next leader in 2017.
Chan is a co-founder of the Occupy Central group, which wants to lock down the business district.
Another co-founder, Benny Tai, a law professor at the University of Hong Kong, said he had also received death threats, some addressed to "The Devil," with one envelope containing a razor blade.
Five other academics said they had suffered intimidation because of their activism.
It was not immediately clear who was behind the intimidation or threats. Chinese officials, worried that calls for democracy will spread to cities on the mainland, threatening the Communist Party's grip on power, have said the Occupy Central movement is illegal. But Tai doesn't believe Beijing sanctioned the letters.
"For Beijing, I think it's important to protect me," Tai said. "If I am in trouble, the blame will be on Beijing."
Neither Chan nor Tai reported the death threats to police. Tai sid he did not believe it would be possible to trace them. Chan said he was advised by Tai not to make it a police case.
Tai said a handful of core Occupy organizers had abruptly left the movement. He attributes their departure to intimidation, possibly through their business ties with the mainland. "We know that kind of thing is happening," he said, declining to give details or say how many people had left.
Another academic and Occupy supporter, Joseph Cheng, a political science professor at City of Hong Kong University, said he has also been targeted.
Pro-Beijing newspaper Wen Wei Po has accused him of plagiarism and not reporting extra income — charges he has denied. Complaints were also lodged with his university, which said in an e-mailed statement that it was investigating in accordance with established rules and procedures.
Cheng said his computer has been hacked, his access to databases and relationships with mainland academics has deteriorated and he has struggled to get research funding.
Pro-Beijing groups had stormed his lectures, urged the city's anti-graft agency to investigate him and harassed him outside his home, he said, adding that his wife had also been followed.
"Anyone who speaks up, they can really destroy you, they can exert a lot of pressure on you," Cheng said.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.