A Hong Kong court has sentenced a young pro-democracy activist to three-and-a-half years in prison. The verdict was handed down on Tuesday after allegations of violating the country’s national security law were proved against him.
A young man named Tony Chung, 20, was convicted in a controversial law recently passed in Hong Kong. Earlier this month, Tony was convicted in a money laundering case. However, after the court’s verdict, he said that he was not ashamed of the incident.
Tony Chung was the convener of the student union formed to demand Hong Kong’s independence from China. He got involved in the movement when he was in secondary school five years ago. Separation from China was then the view of the minority in Hong Kong, but a couple of years ago, Hong Kong citizens became vocal in their demand for autonomy and democracy.
In response, Beijing imposed security measures on Hong Kong. However, a few hours before the law came into force, local students opposed the law.
In this context, Tony Chung was accused of leading the movement with the financial support of foreign rights activists.
Prosecutors allege Tony Chung’s party posted more than a thousand posts on social media. The posts called for “liberation from Chinese communist colonial rule” and “building the Republic of Hong Kong.”
Tony Chung, who was arrested in October 2020, was arrested. He has already been jailed for more than a year.
