Latest news with #Beijing-enacted
HKFP
3 days ago
- Politics
- HKFP
Hong Kong nat sec. police question 2 other relatives of wanted activist Joe Tay
Hong Kong national security police have brought in two other relatives of wanted activist Joe Tay for questioning – the second such occasion this month. Tay's cousin and her husband were brought to Tsing Yi Police Station for questioning on Thursday, local media reported. HKFP saw a man and a woman, both wearing caps and face masks, leave the police station in two private vehicles at around 11 am. In response to HKFP enquiries, police said its National Security Department interviewed two individuals on Thursday to 'assist in an investigation.' The case is still under investigation, and no arrests have been made so far, the force also said, without giving any details. Tay's other cousin and his wife were brought in by the police for questioning earlier this month. Tay, 62, currently based in Canada, is one of six overseas activists for whom police issued arrest warrants in December. He left Hong Kong in June 2020. Each wanted person has a HK$1 million bounty on their head for alleged national security violations. Tay is accused of incitement to secession and collusion with foreign forces. He allegedly operated a channel called 'HongKonger Station' between June 2020 and June 2024, where he published numerous videos to incite secession and called on foreign countries to impose sanctions on China and Hong Kong. Apart from Tay, 18 other overseas activists are wanted by the Hong Kong authorities, including former lawmakers Ted Hui and Dennis Kwok, and former student leader Nathan Law. Police have brought in a number of the activists' family members for questioning, including the parents of US-based activist Frances Hui. In early May, police charged Anna Kwok's father, Kwok Yin-sang, with attempting to handle financial assets of an 'absconder.' He is the first family member of a wanted activist to be charged under the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, more commonly known as Article 23. The 68-year-old stands accused of breaching the domestic security law by attempting to obtain funds from an AIA International life and personal accident insurance policy, with Anna Kwok, based in the US, listed as the insured person. He was granted bail by the High Court last week after being denied bail at a lower court. Separate to the 2020 Beijing-enacted security law, the homegrown Safeguarding National Security Ordinance targets treason, insurrection, sabotage, external interference, sedition, theft of state secrets and espionage. It allows for pre-charge detention of up to 16 days, and suspects' access to lawyers may be restricted, with penalties involving up to life in prison. Article 23 was shelved in 2003 amid mass protests, remaining taboo for years. But, on March 23, 2024, it was enacted having been fast-tracked and unanimously approved at the city's opposition-free legislature.
HKFP
20-05-2025
- Politics
- HKFP
Hong Kong High Court grants bail to father of wanted activist Anna Kwok pending his nat. sec trial
Hong Kong's High Court has granted bail to the father of wanted pro-democracy activist Anna Kwok, pending his national security trial for allegedly trying to handle her financial assets. Kwok Yin-sang, 68, is the first person to be charged with 'attempting to deal with, directly or indirectly, any funds or other financial assets or economic resources belonging to, or owned or controlled by, a relevant absconder,' under Hong Kong's homegrown security law, the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, also known as Article 23. He has been detained since his arrest on April 30, alongside his 35-year-old son, the brother of Anna Kwok, who was released on police bail without being formally charged. Kwok Yin-sang was denied bail by a magistrate earlier this month on national security grounds, after which he took his application for temporary release to the High Court. High Court Judge Alex Lee on Tuesday granted him bail on condition of HK$200,000 in cash and another HK$200,000 in surety from his son, according to local media reports. The bail conditions also include surrendering travel documents, living at the reported residence, reporting to the police every day, not contacting prosecution witnesses, and not getting in touch with Anna Kwok during the bail period. This is the first known successful bail application in a case charged under Article 23. Kwok Yin-sang will next appear in court on June 13. Kwok Yin-sang is accused of attempting to obtain funds earlier this year from an AIA International life and personal accident insurance policy, with Anna Kwok, based in the US, listed as the insured person. The Hong Kong government barred anyone from dealing with Anna Kwok's assets in the city after Secretary for Security Chris Tang declared her an 'absconder,' along with six other exiled activists, in December. The 28-year-old is among the first group of eight overseas Hong Kong activists wanted by the city's national security police. She is accused of colluding with foreign forces and having requested foreign countries to impose sanctions on Hong Kong and China. Currently, 19 Hong Kong activists abroad are wanted by the national security police, with each having a HK$1 million bounty leading to their arrest. Separate to the 2020 Beijing-enacted security law, the homegrown Safeguarding National Security Ordinance targets treason, insurrection, sabotage, external interference, sedition, theft of state secrets and espionage. It allows for pre-charge detention of up to 16 days, and suspects' access to lawyers may be restricted, with penalties involving up to life in prison. The law has been criticised by rights NGOs, Western states and the UN as vague, broad and 'regressive.' Authorities, however, cited perceived foreign interference and a constitutional duty to 'close loopholes' after the 2019 protests and unrest.
HKFP
20-05-2025
- Politics
- HKFP
Article 23 security law update provides ‘legal certainty' against threats, Hong Kong leader John Lee says
The new subsidiary legislation for Hong Kong's homegrown security law – also known as Article 23 – provides 'legal certainty' against national security threats, Chief Executive John Lee has said. Hong Kong fast-tracked the subsidiary laws under Article 23 through the legislature last week, enacting the laws less than 24 hours after they were introduced to the Legislative Council (LegCo). The new laws created six offences related to Beijing's Office for Safeguarding National Security (OSNS) in Hong Kong and designated six sites occupied by the office as 'prohibited places' to prevent intruders and spies. Asked if the legislation had been given sufficient time, Lee said on Tuesday that the update must be completed 'as early as possible' amid growing uncertainty in global politics. 'I have said many times that national security risks are like a virus; the risks always exist around us,' he told reporters during a regular press conference. 'It is imperative to complete the subsidiary legislation as early as possible to ensure legal certainty,' he said. He also said the subsidiary legislation did not grant new powers to the OSNS; instead, it provided details about the office's work under the Beijing-imposed national security law. 'The subsidiary legislation refines the implementation rules, their details, and administrative matters of these provisions, making them clearer,' Lee said. 6 new offences The OSNS was established in July 2020 under the Beijing-imposed national security law, which was enacted in the wake of the 2019 pro-democracy protests and unrest. Separate from the Beijing-imposed national security law, Article 23 – formally called the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance – was enacted in March 2024, after it was fast-tracked at the city's opposition-free legislature. Under the new subsidiary laws, failing to comply with the OSNS' legal notices or providing false or misleading information to the OSNS has been criminalised, carrying a maximum penalty of seven years in jail and a HK$500,000 fine. Entering the OSNS' premises without authorisation could result in a maximum jail term of two years, while conducting espionage activities such as inspections in person or via electronic devices is punishable by up to 20 years in jail. The changes were enacted under a 'negative vetting' procedure, allowing them to be first published in the gazette before being formally brought to the legislature for scrutiny. A LegCo subcommittee, comprising the same 15 lawmakers who oversaw Article 23's passage last year, did not raise any amendment proposals as it vetted the new laws for about five hours on Thursday. Lee on Tuesday also lauded his administration for drafting the legislation and the 'quick results' of the LegCo subcommittee. It 'reflects that the executive and the legislature are working together to safeguard national security,' he said. Separate to the 2020 Beijing-enacted security law, the homegrown Safeguarding National Security Ordinance targets treason, insurrection, sabotage, external interference, sedition, theft of state secrets and espionage. It allows for pre-charge detention of up to 16 days, and suspects' access to lawyers may be restricted, with penalties involving up to life in prison. Article 23 was shelved in 2003 amid mass protests, remaining taboo for years. But, on March 23, 2024, it was enacted having been fast-tracked and unanimously approved at the city's opposition-free legislature. The law has been criticised by rights NGOs, Western states and the UN as vague, broad and 'regressive.' Authorities, however, cited perceived foreign interference and a constitutional duty to 'close loopholes' after the 2019 protests and unrest.
HKFP
15-05-2025
- Politics
- HKFP
Hong Kong legislature to form subcommittee to oversee new updates to Article 23
Hong Kong's legislature will form a subcommittee to oversee two new pieces of subsidiary legislation under the city's homegrown national security law, appointing the same roster of lawmakers who oversaw its passage last year. The decision was made during a Legislative Council (LegCo) meeting on Thursday morning, just two days after Hong Kong enacted the new subsidiary laws under the city's domestic security law, also called Article 23, including the imposition of a maximum jail term of seven years for disclosing investigations by Beijing's national security office. The government also announced on Tuesday that six sites occupied by Beijing's Office for Safeguarding National Security (OSNS) in Hong Kong were designated as 'prohibited places' under Article 23. At the Thursday meeting, which lasted just under seven minutes, House Committee chair Starry Lee quoted a letter from Secretary for Security Chris Tang, referring to 'escalating geopolitical tensions' and risks of national security threats emerging 'all of a sudden.' Lee, as well as the other lawmakers who presented their views at the Thursday meeting, supported the legislation, saying that there was a pressing need for the legislative work on the two new laws to be completed. Lawmaker Chan Kin-por recommended setting up a subcommittee in relation to the two pieces of subsidiary national security legislation, suggesting that it comprise the same 15 lawmakers who oversaw the passage of Article 23 last year. 'The two articles are made under the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance. In order to maintain continuity, I suggest that the chairperson, deputy chairperson, and members of the Safeguarding National Security Bills Committee be on the subcommittee,' he said. According to LegCo records, the bills committee was chaired by veteran lawmaker Martin Liao, whom the government previously said had 'facilitated the smooth passage of a number of important bills' in the legislature, including the domestic security law. Legislator Gary Chan of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong is the deputy chair of the subcommittee. Also on the subcommittee are lawmakers Regina Ip, Tommy Cheung, Stanley Ng, and Holden Chow. The two subsidiary law changes were enacted on Tuesday under a 'negative vetting' procedure, allowing them to be first published in the gazette before being formally brought to the legislature for scrutiny. According to the legislation gazetted on Tuesday, anyone who discloses any information related to the measures and investigations by Beijing's Office for Safeguarding National Security (OSNS) in Hong Kong can face a fine of up to HK$500,000 and imprisonment for up to seven years. Anyone who provides false or misleading information to the office is also liable to conviction and can be punished with a maximum fine of HK$500,000 and a jail sentence of up to seven years. Separate to the 2020 Beijing-enacted security law, the homegrown Safeguarding National Security Ordinance targets treason, insurrection, sabotage, external interference, sedition, and theft of state secrets and espionage. It allows for pre-charge detention of up to 16 days, suspects' access to lawyers may be restricted, and penalties can involve up to life in prison. Its legislation failed in 2003 following mass protests, and it remained taboo until 2024 when it was fast-tracked at the city's opposition-free legislature.
HKFP
08-05-2025
- Politics
- HKFP
Hong Kong man jailed for 1 year over ‘seditious' online posts targeting police, judges, gov't
A Hong Kong man has been jailed for one year after he pleaded guilty to publishing over 100 Facebook posts that the court said incited hatred against police, judges, and the government. Li Chun-kit, 36, was sentenced on Thursday under the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance at the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts after he entered a guilty plea before Chief Magistrate Victor So. The bus technician was arrested and charged in January with 'knowingly publishing publications that had a seditious intention' in connection with 117 posts he shared on Facebook between March 29 last year and January 21 this year. In handing down his reasons for the sentence, So said the defendant smeared the police force and courts, stirred up hatred, and encouraged violence with his 'radical statements' that were 'not backed by any objective facts.' The chief magistrate adopted 18 months of imprisonment as the starting point for the sentence and reduced Li's jail term to 12 months due to his guilty plea. The offence under the domestic security law, more commonly known as Article 23, is punishable by up to seven years in prison. Jail terms meted out by a magistrates' court are capped at two years. Li was said to have shared news articles and photos on his Facebook account along with his commentary. His posts could be viewed publicly, but received very few responses, the court heard. The former Citybus employee attacked the police in most of his posts, saying that the force had made 'arbitrary arrests' and 'used violence' to crack down on protesters during the 2019 anti-extradition bill unrest. The defendant called the police 'black cops' and said the Independent Police Complaints Council, which cleared the police force of any misconduct during the 2019 protests, had 'condoned' what he described as 'police brutality.' Li criticised court rulings in protest-related cases, calling some judges 'stupid' and accusing them of 'framing' defendants on rioting charges. He said Hong Kong's judicial system was 'fucking broken,' adding that the city's rule of law was 'dead.' Some of the posts Li published were said to have incited hatred against the national security law, with him calling the Beijing-imposed law 'evil' and 'redundant.' He also encouraged violence by praising Leung Kin-fai, who killed himself after stabbing a policeman in July 2021, and asking others to follow Leung's act. According to facts Li agreed to in court, he admitted to the police that he was the owner of the Facebook account. He said that his hatred of the police grew after the 2019 protest and that the posts he shared served as an 'emotional vent.' So did not accept the defence argument that the seriousness of Li's posts was relatively low because of the few responses he received. Setting his posts as viewable by the public meant the coverage was wide, the chief magistrate said. Separate to the 2020 Beijing-enacted security law, the homegrown Safeguarding National Security Ordinance targets treason, insurrection, sabotage, external interference, sedition, theft of state secrets and espionage. It allows for pre-charge detention of up to 16 days, and suspects' access to lawyers may be restricted, with penalties involving up to life in prison. Article 23 was shelved in 2003 amid mass protests, remaining taboo for years. But, on March 23, 2024, it was enacted having been fast-tracked and unanimously approved at the city's opposition-free legislature. The law has been criticised by rights NGOs, Western states and the UN as vague, broad and 'regressive.' Authorities, however, cited perceived foreign interference and a constitutional duty to 'close loopholes' after the 2019 protests and unrest.
