Hong Kong national security law: first minors convicted under legislation among defendants from pro-independence group admitting call for ‘armed revolution’
- Secondary student Wan Chung-wai, who was 15 at the time of her arrest, is the youngest among convicted members of the now-defunct Returning Valiant
- Prosecutor says group made repeated calls on Instagram and Facebook urging followers to seize every opportunity to stage uprising
Five teenagers are among six members of a pro-independence group in Hong Kong who have admitted calling on others to start an “armed revolution” to topple the local and state governments, in the first case of minors convicted of charges under the national security law.
A judge approved by the city’s leader to adjudicate national security proceedings found the six guilty of a joint count of conspiracy to incite subversion of state power upon their own confession at the District Court on Saturday.
The six from the now-defunct Returning Valiant group comprised five secondary school pupils – WAN, 16, YUEN, LEUNG and TSUENG CHAU, all 17, and KWOK, 19 – and salesman CHAN, 26.
WAN, who was only 15 at the time of her arrest, is the youngest defendant to date to be convicted of a national security law offence.
A seventh member, 21-year-old shopkeeper CHOI, who previously indicated his intention to admit liability, asked for extra time to affirm the content of the prosecution’s summary of the case.
Calling themselves the “embers of revolution”, the 20-strong group was said to have organised 13 street booths and press conferences and operated three social media accounts between January and May last year with the goal of overthrowing Beijing and the Hong Kong administration.
All seven suspects either spoke in support of insurgency or distributed fliers during public events. Wan, being a part-time online news reporter, also delivered live broadcasts on the internet.
(Extracted from SCMP)
#20220820NEWS #HKNSL #ReturningValiant
- Secondary student Wan Chung-wai, who was 15 at the time of her arrest, is the youngest among convicted members of the now-defunct Returning Valiant
- Prosecutor says group made repeated calls on Instagram and Facebook urging followers to seize every opportunity to stage uprising
Five teenagers are among six members of a pro-independence group in Hong Kong who have admitted calling on others to start an “armed revolution” to topple the local and state governments, in the first case of minors convicted of charges under the national security law.
A judge approved by the city’s leader to adjudicate national security proceedings found the six guilty of a joint count of conspiracy to incite subversion of state power upon their own confession at the District Court on Saturday.
The six from the now-defunct Returning Valiant group comprised five secondary school pupils – WAN, 16, YUEN, LEUNG and TSUENG CHAU, all 17, and KWOK, 19 – and salesman CHAN, 26.
WAN, who was only 15 at the time of her arrest, is the youngest defendant to date to be convicted of a national security law offence.
A seventh member, 21-year-old shopkeeper CHOI, who previously indicated his intention to admit liability, asked for extra time to affirm the content of the prosecution’s summary of the case.
Calling themselves the “embers of revolution”, the 20-strong group was said to have organised 13 street booths and press conferences and operated three social media accounts between January and May last year with the goal of overthrowing Beijing and the Hong Kong administration.
All seven suspects either spoke in support of insurgency or distributed fliers during public events. Wan, being a part-time online news reporter, also delivered live broadcasts on the internet.
(Extracted from SCMP)
#20220820NEWS #HKNSL #ReturningValiant