Hong Kong architect convicted for carrying petrol, nails amid national anthem, security law protests
- The defendant had said he had no knowledge of the items inside the two bags he was carrying, as he was only disposing of them for a friend
- But a judge rejected that defence, saying it would have been unreasonable for the defendant to put himself at risk of arrest without first inspecting the bags’ contents
A Hong Kong judge has found an architect guilty of carrying 2.3 litres of petrol and other items intended for use in vandalising property amid protests against the national anthem and security laws two years ago.
Leung Hon-to, 29, was remanded in custody on Thursday after being convicted at the District Court on one count of possessing articles with intent to damage or destroy property. Leung was first arrested on May 28, 2020 after police intercepted him while carrying the offending items outside a boutique hotel in Causeway Bay.
Protesters had staged various flash-mob demonstrations across Hong Kong the previous day, when the national anthem bill – which criminalised insults to March of the Volunteers, and was seen by some as a curb on freedom of expression – received its second reading in the Legislative Council.
Protesters had also expressed their discontent with Beijing’s decision earlier that month to impose a national security law on the city. The legislation ultimately went into effect on June 30, 2020.
Police had received 42 reports of unlawful assemblies and criminal damage in Wan Chai and Causeway Bay between May 24 and 27, with protesters setting fires and placing steel spikes to block roads.
Leung was found the following day with three bottles of petrol, 40 steel nails, pliers and spray paint in his rucksack and handbag.
Inside a room at MY Hotel on Lee Garden Road, officers found a dozen empty glass bottles they believed were intended to be used to produce petrol bombs for the protests.