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A teenage activist from Hong Kong was charged with secession on Thursday, the first public political figure to be prosecuted under a radical new national security law that Beijing imposed on the city.
Tony Chung, 19, appeared in court on charges of secession, money laundering and conspiracy to post seditious content, two days after being arrested in a Hong Kong coffee shop outside the US consulate.
Chung is a former member of Student Localism, a small group that advocated for Hong Kong’s independence from China.
The group dissolved its Hong Kong network shortly before Beijing covered the city with its new security law in late June, but it has kept its international chapters.
The legislation prohibited a number of new crimes, including the expression of political opinions such as defending independence or greater autonomy for Hong Kong.
Chung and three other Student Localism members were first arrested by a newly created national security police unit in July on suspicion of inciting secession through social media posts.
However, Chung was arrested again Tuesday morning by plainclothes police officers just yards from the US consulate.
A little-known group calling itself Friends of Hong Kong released a statement shortly afterward saying it had been trying to arrange for Chung to enter the US consulate that day and apply for asylum.
Chung was detained by the police until his court appearance on Thursday morning. Bail was denied.
su / jta / jah
