Hong Kong: judiciary files charges against well-known democracy activists

Icon: enlarge

Activist Tony Chung: Violations of the so-called security law can result in life imprisonment

Photo: 

ISAAC LAWRENCE / AFP

The democracy movement in Hong Kong is under increasing pressure.

The government's most important power instrument is the so-called security law passed by China in the summer.

Now, for the first time, an indictment has been made on the basis of the controversial law.

19-year-old Tony Chung was accused of secession in court on Thursday.

He was arrested by plainclothes police officers on Tuesday in the immediate vicinity of the US consulate in Hong Kong.

The judiciary has also accused Chung of money laundering and conspiracy to post inflammatory content.

The court refused to allow her to be released on bail.

The activist was a member of the Student Localism group, which campaigned for Hong Kong's independence.

One day before the so-called security law came into force in June, the group disbanded.

Meanwhile, Chung and three other former members of the group were arrested in July by a newly created unit of the National Security Police.

They were suspected of inciting the split on social media.

Chung apparently wanted to apply for US asylum

After Chung's arrest two days ago, Friends of Hong Kong announced that Chung was planning to seek asylum at the US consulate on Tuesday.

Since June, the authorities in the Special Administrative Region have been able to fall back on the Beijing Security Act for Hong Kong.

It allows the authorities to crack down on any activity that they believe threatens China's national security.

Violations can be punished with life imprisonment.

The law represents the most serious encroachment on the autonomous status of Hong Kong to date. When it was handed over to China in 1997, the former British crown colony had been granted special rights for 50 years, including freedom of expression and assembly.

Icon: The mirror

asc / AFP