Share
29 October 2020 Tony Chung, a 19-year-old pro-democracy activist, appeared in court where the accusation of secession was formalized: it is the first case of indictment brought on the basis of the new, highly contested, national security law imposed by Beijing.
Chung is also accused of money laundering and conspiracy to publish seditious content.
He was held in custody until the next hearing on January 7 and has been facing life imprisonment for 10 years if convicted under the new law.
Chung is a former member of Student Localism, a small group that advocates Hong Kong's independence from China.
The group announced that it had dissolved its Hong Kong network shortly before Beijing covered the city with the new security law in late June, but it kept its international chapters.
The law - adopted in response to the huge pro-democracy protests that engulfed the city last year - has set a series of new crimes, including the expression of some political views, such as defending independence or greater autonomy of Hong Kong from China.
Chung and three other members of Student Localism were first arrested in July by a newly created National Security Police Unit, suspected of inciting secession through social media.
A little-known group calling itself Friends of Hong Kong released a statement shortly after Chung's arrest yesterday, saying they tried to organize Chung's entry into the US consulate that day and seek asylum.