Hong Kong national security law: bail denied to fourth Student Politicism member accused of state subversion
- Activist group’s ex-spokeswoman Wong Yuen-lam, 19, remanded in custody on charge of conspiracy to incite subversion, a national security offence
- Three other current and former Student Politicism members were earlier denied bail and all four are due back in court in November
Student Politicism’s former spokeswoman Wong Yuen-lam, 19, was escorted to West Kowloon Court on Thursday to face a count of conspiracy to incite subversion of state power.
Three other former and current members of the group appeared in court two days ago charged with the same offence and were also denied bail. Wong, a Polytechnic University undergraduate, was arrested at Mong Kok Police Station in the early hours of Wednesday.
Leading figures in Hong Kong student opposition group denied bail
Prosecutors alleged Wong had conspired to incite overthrowing or undermining “the basic system of the People’s Republic of China”, as well as “the body of central power of the People’s Republic of China or the body of power of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region”.
Acting chief magistrate Peter Law Tak-chuen, one of the jurists hand-picked by city leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor to hear security law proceedings, threw out Wong’s bail application at the prosecution’s request.
That decision attracted boos from spectators watching a live broadcast of the hearing in the court’s waiting area. Some of them cursed at the prosecutor as he left the building.
Student Politicism convenor Wong Yat-chin and former secretary Chan Chi-sum, both 20, along with ex-spokeswoman Chu Wai-ying, 18, appeared in West Kowloon Court on Tuesday charged with the same offence.
The four will return to West Kowloon Court on November 3. They will stand trial in the District Court, where they face potential jail sentences of up to seven years.
Incitement to commit subversion carries a maximum jail sentence of 10 years, but is capped at seven at the District Court.
The Beijing-decreed national security law, imposed on Hong Kong last June, also bans acts of secession, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces.
