HK's 1st National Security Law defendant gets 9 years jail term

HONG KONG - The first person convicted under the National Security Law for Hong Kong was sentenced to nine years in prison for terrorist activities and inciting secession at the High Court on Friday.

Leon Tong Ying-kit, who displayed a flag with a secessionist slogan and rammed into police officers during a protest last year, was found guilty of terrorism and incitement to secession on Tuesday.

In a demonstration on July 1 last year, the now 24-year-old defendant broke through several police cordon lines and injured three police officers with his motorcycle, which carried a flag bearing the protest slogan "Liberate Hong Kong; revolution of our times".

Several other high-profile cases under the National Security Law will be heard in court in the next few months.

Media tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, who is currently serving a jail term for organizing and participating in illegal assemblies, will appear in court on Oct 12 for two national security-related charges and another of intending to obstruct public justice.

The two charges are collusion with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security, and conspiracy to commit collusion with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security.

Benny Tai Yiu-ting and 46 others who participated in an illegal primary election in 2020 were charged with conspiracy to commit subversion. The case will be heard on Sept 23.

Three middle school students, who are members of a local radical organization, were charged with conspiracy to commit terrorist acts in July for allegedly planning to attack the city's key infrastructure facilities with homemade bombs. The next hearing is scheduled on Sept 1.