Pro-democracy activists including Joshua Wong and Agens Chow have been arrested by law enforcement officers in Hong Kong amid a crackdown on demonstrations by protesters demanding democracy.
The Friday arrests come just hours after the leader of the banned pro-independence party Andy Chan was arrested on Thursday.
Protests that were scheduled for Saturday have now been canceled by the Civil Human Rights Front (CHRF) organisers.
"Our first principle is always to protect all the participants and make sure that no one bears legal consequences because of participating in the protest that we organised, " Bonnie Leung, the vice convener of the CHRF told members of the press.
The arrests come amid rising tensions in Hong Kong, plunging the territory into a political crisis not seen in decades.
China, which controls the territory, issued a stern warning to the pro-democracy demonstrators, saying that it would send its troops into the territory.
Protesters have been demanding more autonomy from the Chinese government and greater freedom to elect their political leaders.
Amnesty International has condemned the arrests, disparaging them as scare tactics.
"This past week, we have seen scare tactics straight out of Beijing’s playbook: pro-democracy protest organizers attacked by thugs, prominent activists arrested after being snatched from their homes and streets, and a major rally planned for Saturday banned, " the director of Amnesty International in Hong Kong Man-kei Tam said in a statement to newsrooms.
Hong Kong's leader Carrie Lam has adamantly refused to accede to the demands of the pro-democracy protesters.