HK Court Convicts Waiter For Violating National Security Law

The first person to be charged under Hong Kong's controversial national security law has been found guilty in a landmark ruling, BBC reported.

Tong Ying-kit, 24, was convicted of inciting secession and terrorism after riding a motorbike into police and flying a flag calling for Hong Kong's "liberation."

More than 100 people have been arrested under the law since it came into force in 2019. It reduces Hong Kong's autonomy and makes it easier to punish activists.

Beijing insists that the widely-criticized law, which came after a series of mass pro-democracy protests in 2019, is needed to bring stability to the city. Tuesday's verdict, which is the culmination of a 15-day trial, means Tong could face life in jail.

His sentencing is due at a later date. He was sentenced at a trial without jury - a departure from Hong Kong's common law tradition. The defense team had argued for a jury but Hong Kong's justice secretary argued that the jurors' safety would be put at risk given the city's sensitive political climate.

Tong's trial was presided over by judges Esther Toh, Anthea Pang and Wilson Chan, picked by city leader Carrie Lam to hear national security cases.

Toh read out a summary of the ruling in court, saying "such display of the words was capable of inciting others to commit secession."

She added that Tong was aware of the slogan's secessionist meaning, and that he intended to communicate this meaning to others.

His actions caused "grave harm to society," James Pomfret and Sara Cheng also reported for Reuters.

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