Latest news with #SafeguardingNationalSecurityOrdinance
HKFP
3 days ago
- Politics
- HKFP
Hong Kong man's incitement to subversion case under nat. security law transferred to District Court
A Hong Kong man charged with inciting subversion under the Beijing-imposed national security law will have his case transferred to the District Court, where he faces up to seven years' imprisonment if convicted. Chan Ho-hin, a former waiter, appeared at the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts on Wednesday in a case linked to social media posts on X and Instagram published between June 2024 and April this year. Chan was originally charged with the lesser offence of publishing articles with seditious intent under the city's homegrown security law, the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, also known as Article 23. But prosecutors later upgraded his charge to the more serious offence of subversion under the Beijing-imposed national security law. National security judge Victor So said Chan would next appear at the District Court on August 21. Chan has been remanded in custody since he was arrested and charged in late April. He did not apply for bail on Wednesday. As of early August, a total of 96 people have been charged under the national security law, according to the Security Bureau. In June 2020, Beijing inserted national security legislation directly into Hong Kong's mini-constitution – bypassing the local legislature – following a year of pro-democracy protests and unrest. The law gave police sweeping new powers, alarming democrats, civil society groups and trade partners, as such laws have been used broadly to silence and punish dissidents in China. However, the authorities say it has restored stability and peace to the city.
HKFP
5 days ago
- Politics
- HKFP
Father of activist wanted under nat. sec law pleads not guilty to attempting to handle daughter's insurance funds
The father of overseas activist Anna Kwok, who is wanted under the national security law, has pleaded not guilty to attempting to handle her funds. Kwok Yin-sang, a merchant, appeared at the West Kowloon Magistrates' Court on Wednesday afternoon. He faces a charge under Article 23, the city's homegrown security law, for allegedly attempting to deal with funds linked to an 'absconder.' His daughter, Anna Kwok, who lives in the US, is wanted by national security police for suspected foreign collusion. According to the charge sheet, Kwok Yin-sang allegedly attempted to obtain funds from an AIA International life and personal accident insurance policy that belonged to Anna Kwok between January 4 and February 27. Wearing a green T-shirt and a black mask, Kwok Yin-sang said 'not guilty' when asked by the court how he would plead. Judge Victor So set the trial to be conducted on October 8 and 9 after prosecutor Vincent Lee said he estimated it would take at least two days. Lee said he expected to summon seven prosecution witnesses. Article 23 Kwok Yin-sang is the first relative of a wanted activist to be charged with a national security offence. His daughter, Anna Kwok, is one of 34 overseas activists wanted by police under the Beijing-imposed national security law. Authorities are offering up to HK$1 million for information that could lead to their arrest. Invoking Article 23, the Hong Kong government barred anyone from dealing with her assets in the city after Secretary for Security Chris Tang declared her an 'absconder,' along with six other exiled activists, in December. Her father was denied bail after his arrest in late April and spent two and a half weeks in remand before being granted bail on several conditions, including reporting to the police every day and not contacting his daughter. His release marked the first successful bail application in a case charged under Article 23, known officially as the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance. 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.
RTHK
7 days ago
- Politics
- RTHK
New restrictions slapped on 16 NSL suspects
New restrictions slapped on 16 NSL suspects Members of the public have been reminded that it is an offence to make funds available to absconders either directly or indirectly. File photo: RTHK Sixteen national security suspects who were placed on a wanted list last month for alleged subversion had new financial restrictions imposed on them in accordance with the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance (SNSO). The Secretary for Security exercised his powers under section 89 of the legislation to prohibit the suspects from dealing with funds or have any property dealings related to absconders. Twelve of the suspects will also have their SAR passports revoked and some of them will be removed from their positions as company directors. The suspects are among 19 people who have been accused of endangering national security by forming or taking part in a group called the "Hong Kong Parliament" – which has been deemed as a subversive organisation that aims to overturn the nation's constitutional order. "These lawless wanted criminals are hiding in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Germany, Australia, Thailand, China's Taiwan region, etc, and continue to blatantly engage in activities that endanger national security,' a government spokesman said in a statement. 'They also intended to incite hatred through smear and slander against the Central Authorities and the HKSAR. We therefore have taken such measures to make a significant impact,' the spokesman added. The police further issued a reminder to members of the public that it is an offence to make available any funds or other financial assets or economic resources to an absconder either directly or indirectly. The Secretary for Security also instructed the police to sort out the relevant evidence for him to consider exercising powers under the SNSO to prohibit the operation of the "Hong Kong Parliament" and the "Hong Kong Democratic Independence Union" in the SAR.
HKFP
01-08-2025
- Politics
- HKFP
Hong Kong man arrested for allegedly threatening media outlets to publish ‘seditious' report
Hong Kong's national security police have arrested a man for allegedly threatening multiple media outlets to publish a report promoting a fundraising website for wanted activists. A 43-year-old man surnamed Tse was arrested in Fanling on Thursday in connection with intimidating letters sent in June to several local media organisations, police said at a press conference on Friday. According to Superintendent Chow Hok-yin, the letters demanded that media outlets publish a report about a website claiming to sell products to raise money for overseas activists wanted by Hong Kong authorities. The website also claimed that proceeds would be used to support activities calling for foreign sanctions on Hong Kong officials and judges. The letters warned that failure to publish the report could result in arson attacks on the media outlets' offices. As the letters and the report allegedly contained elements endangering national security, the case was taken over by the police's national security department, Chow said. Police said the website was hosted on an overseas server, and Tse is suspected to be its creator. Officers found image and text files used to create the website on Tse's computer, along with a document listing the names and office addresses of various local media outlets. Tse was arrested under the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance – commonly known as Article 23 – for alleged 'seditious intention.' He also faces charges of suspected criminal intimidation. Chow declined to name the media organisations involved. Sedition is not covered by the Beijing-imposed national security law, which targets secession, subversion, collusion with foreign forces, and terrorism and carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. It was previously criminalised under the colonial-era Crimes Ordinance, with a maximum penalty of two years in prison. That law was repealed in March 2024, when Hong Kong enacted its homegrown security legislation, which raised the penalty for sedition to up to seven years in prison. Separate from 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.
Malaysian Reserve
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Malaysian Reserve
HK arrests 18-year-old for writing ‘seditious words' in bathroom
HONG KONG police arrested an 18-year-old on suspicion he left what they called 'seditious' messages in a bathroom, adding to a recent series of national security actions that signal authorities' continued efforts to curb dissent. The man is accused of being 'involved in writing seditious words in a commercial building toilet on three separate occasions,' the government said Wednesday. The content allegedly provoked hatred and disaffection against the government and incited others to defy the law. The move is the latest in a flurry of enforcement actions against perceived threats to the Chinese state in the former British colony. Hong Kong is seeking to burnish its status as a finance hub after its image took a hit from strict pandemic controls and clampdown on political freedoms. Earlier this month police arrested four men for allegedly advocating independence for the semi-autonomous Chinese territory. In June, local authorities took their first known joint operation with Beijing's security officers to investigate a case of alleged foreign collusion. Police also banned a Taiwanese video game that month for allegedly calling for armed revolution. In its Wednesday statement, the National Security Department of the police charged the man for carrying out 'with a seditious intention an act or acts that had a seditious intention,' a crime that's punishable by up to seven years of imprisonment on first conviction. The offense is defined in the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, commonly known as Article 23, which was fast-tracked into domestic law last year. It's been invoked in addition to the Beijing-imposed National Security Law of 2020, which authorities used to detain and imprison dozens of leading democracy activists. The Hong Kong government didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. –BLOOMBERG
