HONG KONG – Tong Ying-kit, a pro-democracy activist from Hong Kong, was sentenced to 9 years in prison: his is the first case of application of the new national security law imposed by Beijing on the former colony in June 2020.
Hong Kong: first convicted under new national security law
by our correspondent Gianluca Modolo
The man was found guilty on Tuesday of terrorism and incitement to secession for having waved a black flag to demand the release of Hong Kong and for having hit a group of policemen with his motorcycle, injuring some during a demonstration in Wan Chai, in north of the city, last July 1st.
“Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times” was written on that flag. “When the defendant showed that slogan, he intended to communicate to others the secessionist meaning of it,” said Judge Esther Toh Lye-ping. “He intended to incite other people to secede by separating Hong Kong from the People’s Republic of China,” he continued reading the sentence.
There was no jury at the trial, which marks a real break with the legal tradition in Hong Kong: a local broadcaster called it an “unusual” choice, but the government explained that it feared for the personal safety of the jurors. and their families. The new law provides that some criminal cases are judged by a college of three magistrates, without any jury.
While Tong is one of the few people prosecuted for an explicitly violent act, the vast majority of accused under the National Security Act are under arrest for expressing political views that, according to the authorities, are illegal.
Activist Nathan Law: “In Hong Kong it is now a crime to even talk”
by our correspondent Gianluca Modolo
More than 60 people have already been charged under the new law, which is emerging as the main tool in Beijing’s crackdown on the pro-democracy movement. Among those prosecuted under this rule is the media tycoon, Jimmy Lai, former editor of the now-closed pro-democracy tabloid Apple Daily. Most of them have not been bailed and all are awaiting trial.
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