A 19-year-old in Hong Kong has been convicted of sedition for writing anti-government graffiti in a commercial building toilet, violating the city’s domestic national security law. West Kowloon Court on Wednesday rejected a defence psychiatrist’s opinion that a congenital mental disorder prevented Leung Kai-lok from understanding the offensive words he used against the government and…
Five Hong Kong booksellers arrested on suspicion of sedition have been released on bail two days after national security police raided a pair of independent bookshops where they worked. Police said the three women and two men, aged between 30 and 59, were released on Friday pending further investigation. A source earlier said the two…
Hong Kong’s security chief has warned that booksellers are responsible for ensuring their titles do not violate national security legislation, a day after police raided two independent stores and arrested five people on suspicion of sedition. Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung also reiterated on Thursday that the government would not compile a list of…
Two Hong Kong men convicted of violating the Beijing-decreed national security law have said they joined a pro-independence group either to obtain asylum in Canada or “out of curiosity”. Courier Chan Tai-sum, 27, and waiter Ng Chi-tung, 25, pleaded guilty in the District Court on Friday to conspiracy to commit secession for their involvement with…
As Hong Kong marks the 29th anniversary of its return to Chinese rule on July 1, the South China Morning Post talks to the city’s senior officials about the administration’s achievements so far and what may lie ahead. Protesters arrested during Hong Kong’s 2019 social unrest will be given priority for case reviews if they…
The recent enactment of the Safeguarding National Security (Procedural Matters) Regulation has generated significant interest and commentary on Hong Kong’s legal landscape. It is recognised that maintaining national security is of paramount importance and that there is a constitutional responsibility on the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to do so. Under the Basic Law, that…
As Hong Kong marks the 29th anniversary of its return to Chinese rule on July 1, the South China Morning Post talks to the city’s senior officials about the administration’s achievements so far and what may lie ahead. A new piece of subsidiary legislation that allows Hong Kong’s leader to certify a case as involving…
Hong Kong’s new legislation allowing certain criminal cases to be handled under national security procedures is expected to be used only rarely, with the city leader typically issuing such certification before trial, security and justice officials have said. A Legislative Council subcommittee completed its scrutiny of the Safeguarding National Security (Procedural Matters) Regulation during a…
A Hong Kong court has sentenced a construction worker to 10 months in prison for throwing dozens of sheets of paper bearing seditious messages from his flat in 2024 and last year. Raymond Wong Chan-fai, 55, told Chief Magistrate Victor So Wai-tak in mitigation on Tuesday that he had written offensive messages targeting police, judges…
Hong Kong’s leader has pledged to exercise prudence and seriousness when defining national security offences under newly proposed legislation, dismissing concerns about a centralisation of power and stressing that the process often involves “state players” and highly sensitive information. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu also said on Tuesday that the subsidiary legislation, which introduces a…