Hong Kong independence activist sentenced to prison under national security law

A 20-year-old activist who advocated for Hong Kong’s independence from China was sentenced on Tuesday to three years and seven months in prison for violating the country’s national security law. 

Tony Chung pleaded guilty to secession under the law, which took effect in June 2020, according to The Washington Post.

Hong Kong’s Basic Law — in effect, its constitution — purports to enshrine freedom of expression. But under the new national security law, speech that is determined to undermine the Chinese government can carry a charge of life in prison. 

Chung’s crime, which he committed as a teenager, was completely nonviolent and carried out only through slogans, social media posts and speech, the Post reported.

“Secession need not involve actual violence,” Judge Stanley Chan said, per the Post. “The sentence needs to deter future acts.”

Chung is the third person to face prison time for violations of the law and the youngest to be sentenced under it.

His sentence is slightly reduced compared to those previously received by 24-year-old Tong Ying-kit and 31-year-old Ma Chun-man because of his guilty plea. 

“I plead guilty. I have no shame in my heart,” Chung said earlier this month, per the Post.

As a high school student, Chung was a co-founder of Studentlocalism, a student activist group that advocated for Hong Kong’s independence. The group disbanded just before the national security law was enacted, with officials saying it would not be retroactively enforced, per the Post.

But Chung was one of the first people to be arrested under it, with officials pointing to the manifesto and apparel produced by Studentlocalism to support the charge. According to the Post, prosecutors justified this by claiming that Chung had continued to violate the law after it was in effect.

The newspaper noted that Chung previously attempted to seek asylum at the U.S. Consulate in Hong Kong, but was apprehended before his arrival. He has been detained without bail ever since.