National security law: Hong Kong activist admits secession charge but insists his conscience is clear over independence push
- Tony Chung, 20, becomes youngest person convicted under national security law and tells judge he has no regrets for continuing his independence campaign
- Studentlocalism founder pleaded guilty to secession and money-laundering charges at the District Court on Wednesday
Tony Chung Hon-lam, 20, became the youngest person to be convicted under the Beijing-imposed legislation when he admitted to two of the four charges he was facing at the District Court. The prosecution will not pursue the other two charges under the terms of a plea bargain arrangement.
When asked for his plea to the secession charge, the founder of the now-defunct Studentlocalism group said: “I plead guilty. I have a clear conscience.”
But the response did not sit well with District Judge Stanley Chan Kwong-chi, who warned the activist against making “political declarations”.
Chan said jail was “the most probable sentence” but added that he was legally bound to assess the defendant’s suitability for a non-custodial punishment given his young age.
“There must not be a misconception that a non-custodial sentence is a possibility,” added the judge, who is among a pool of jurists hand-picked by city leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor to handle security law proceedings.
Chung is the third person to plead guilty to national security law charges since it took effect on June 30 last year to outlaw acts of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces.