A Hong Kong teenager has been sentenced to four months in prison for insulting China’s national flag and illegal assembly, as Beijing increasingly targets leading activists from the financial center.
Tony Chung, 19, who now heads a disbanded pro-democracy group, was convicted earlier this month of throwing the Chinese flag on the ground during a fight outside Hong Kong’s legislature in May 2019.
While hearing his sentence, Chung will be awaiting a divorce case, which could result in a life sentence, according to Beijing’s strict national security law imposed on Hong Kong in June.
Chung is the first public political figure to be prosecuted under the new security law, which last year called Beijing a “sword” to restore “order and stability” to the financial center after a seven-month mass and often violent pro-democracy protests.
He was sentenced to three months each for insulting the national flag and the illegal assembly, and was asked to serve a four-month sentence. The teen also faces separate charges of conspiracy to extort money and publish treasonous material.
Chung was deported to the U.S. in October. Plaincloths in front of the consulate were arrested by police and have been taken into custody ever since.
There is speculation that Chung was detained by authorities as he sought refuge at the US Consulate in Hong Kong.
The growing number of pro-democracy activists in the political arena has fled Hong Kong since Beijing cracked down on China’s dictatorial rule.
Under security law, serious offenses such as “criminal” and “alliance with foreign forces” can be charged despite being vague on dissenting speech rather than acts.
The law has also slammed the legal fire between Hong Kong’s internationally recognized common law judiciary and the opaque, party-controlled justice system in mainland China, allowing extradition suspects across the border for trial.
Last Sunday, China’s state TV CGTA reported that Hong Kong police had placed 30 people who were not in Hong Kong on its wanted list on suspicion of violating national security laws, including self-deported activists Ted Hui and Bugio Lung.
The remaining prominent activists in Hong Kong have either been jailed – including Joshua Wong and Agnes Chou – or face repeated arrests and multiple charges.
Pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai has also been charged under the National Security Act. Last week, the Hong Kong High Court granted him bail from jail but kept him under house arrest. He was also ordered to hand over all travel documents and was banned from talking to the press, using social media, meeting foreign officials and “joining foreign forces”.
The verdict drew strong criticism from China, which threatened to hand over the line to Chief Justice for a hearing.
