China Jails Hong Kong Activist Tony Chung For Throwing National Flag On The Ground

(Macau Photo Agency/Unsplash)

JAKARTA - Tony Chung was jailed for four months. Chung was accused of insulting the Chinese flag. He threw a Chinese flag on the ground during clashes outside the Hong Kong legislative building in May 2019.

Chung is known as the leader of a disbanded pro-democracy group. While serving his most recent sentence, Chung is also awaiting trial for violating the National Security Act which resulted in a life sentence.

Chung is the first public political figure to be prosecuted under the National Security Act which the Chinese Government describes as a "sword" to restore order and stability to Hong Kong. Citing The Guardian, Wednesday, December 30, Chung was arrested by plainclothes police opposite the United States (US) consulate in October.

Since then he has been detained. There has been speculation that the authorities detained Chung because Chung requested asylum at the US consulate in Hong Kong. In addition, the 19-year-old man also faces charges of money laundering and conspiracy to publish inflammatory content.

A growing number of pro-democracy activists across the political spectrum have left Hong Kong since China stepped up its crackdown on Chinese government protesters. Under the Law on National Security, dissent can be accused of being an obscure but serious offense, such as subversion and collusion with foreign parties.

Last week, Chinese state TV CGTN reported that Hong Kong police had put 30 people who were not in Hong Kong on a wanted list for suspicion of violating the National Security Law. The wanted list includes activists in exile Ted Hui and Baggio Leung.

Prominent activists still in Hong Kong have been jailed, including Joshua Wong and Agnes Chow. Many other activists face frequent arrests and charges.

The National Security Act has been in effect in Hong Kong since late June. The law criminalizes acts of subversion, secession, foreign collusion and terrorism.

The law has been criticized for being broadly defined as violating the basic human rights of freedom of speech and assembly, and in violation of international law. Hundreds of people have left Hong Kong seeking asylum overseas including in Australia, Canada and the US.

But the Hong Kong government says there is no mistreatment in enforcing the law. In addition, the National Security Law has also removed the legal barrier between Hong Kong's internationally recognized general law courts and laws controlled by the Communist Party in mainland China.

The perpetrators deemed to have violated the National Security Law will be extradited across the border for trial. Jimmy Lai, a pro-democracy media mogul, was also charged under the National Security Law.

Last week the Hong Kong high court granted bail from prison but placed him under house arrest. Jimmy Lai was also ordered to hand over all travel documents and was prohibited from speaking to the press, making public statements, using social media, meeting foreign officials and "colluding with foreign parties." The decision sparked strong criticism from China, which threatened to extradite Lai to mainland China for trial.