Hong Kong Activist Jailed for Insulting Chinese Flag

A 19-year-old pro-democracy activist in Hong Kong has been convicted of insulting the Chinese flag and participating in an illegal protest last year. Tony Chung has been jailed for four months.

Chung was arrested in October during an unsuccessful attempt to apply for asylum at the US consulate. On December 11, he was convicted of throwing the Chinese flag to the ground in an illegal demonstration in May 2019. The crime carried a maximum sentence of four years.

On January 7, Chung will face another trial, which violates the controversial national security law that Beijing imposed on Hong Kong this summer. He is suspected of separatist activities. For that, he could face a life sentence. Chung is the first public political figure to be prosecuted under the new security law.

Pro-democracy activists in the metropolis are very concerned about the new security law, which criminalizes separatism. China introduced the law after protracted demonstrations.

Hong Kong was already part of the Communist People’s Republic but had more autonomy than other parts of the country. The rulers in Beijing have strengthened their grip on the metropolis with legislation introduced last summer.