Hong Kong national security law: first person jailed under legislation drops appeal against 9-year sentence
- Former restaurant worker Leon Tong was convicted of inciting secession and terrorism during the annual July 1 protest in 2020
- Barrister Clive Grossman SC says his client did not consult him about decision to abandon attempt to overturn outcome of security law trial
Former restaurant worker Leon Tong Ying-kit became the first person to be sanctioned under the Beijing-imposed legislation in July last year, after three High Court judges hand-picked by the city leader to oversee security law proceedings convicted him of inciting secession and terrorism during the annual July 1 protest in 2020.
Clive Grossman SC, the leading counsel in Tong’s legal team, said the 24-year-old did not consult him about the decision to abandon what would have been the first attempt to overturn the outcome of a security law trial.
“As far as I am aware he did not give any reasons for doing so,” the barrister added.
Tong last appeared before a Court of Appeal judge in a 30-minute hearing on November 26, where Grossman said he would be challenging the testimonies of up to four police officers and interpretation of a contentious protest slogan by a prosecution expert.
The appeal was to be heard on March 22 and 23, but those sittings have been vacated, according to the judiciary’s website.