Activist Tony Chung’s subversion trial starts in November
Hong Kong teen activist Tony Chung will face trial in November on charges including one of subverting state power, a new offense created last year under Beijing’s national security law.
District Court Judge Amanda Woodcock on Tuesday scheduled the trial for Nov. 2 and ordered the 19-year-old to be remanded in custody.
Evidence would include computer forensics, bank transaction records, videos and a Facebook password that Chung surrendered under police caution, prosecutors told the court. They would summon two police officers as witnesses.
Defense lawyers said they would contest the use of the Facebook password as evidence.
Chung, a former convener of pro-independence group Studentlocalism, is facing one count each of subversion and of conspiring to publish seditious content, and two counts of money laundering.
Under the subversion charge, Chung allegedly organized, planned, implemented or participated in activities between July 1 and Oct. 27 last year that undermined the country’s unity and were considered secessionist.
The activist was convicted and sentenced to four months in prison last December for desecration of the Chinese flag and an unlawful assembly outside the Legislative Council building in May 2019.
Meanwhile, seven democracy figures accused of subversion by participating in a primary for a legislative election last year failed to secure bail in West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts on Tuesday.
Chief Magistrate Victor So remanded Ben Chung, Gordon Ng, Henry Wong, Andrew Chiu, Nathan Lau, Gary Fan and Winnie Yu in custody until the next hearing, set for July 8. An eighth defendant, Carol Ng, was also taken back to her cell after she withdrew her bail application.
Some members of the public waved from their seats and gave the thumbs-up to the activists during the hearing. Wong’s lawyer said his client had lost 15 kilograms in the three months since his detention started.
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