20-year-old Hongkonger sentenced to up to 3 years detention for illegal university protest where he chanted ‘seditious’ slogans
- Tong Cheuk-him, who is already in custody, has been found guilty of 10 charges in two previous cases
- Judge gives defendant one more chance and spares him jail time because he was only 18 when he joined the march at Chinese University in 2020
A 20-year-old man has been sentenced to up to three years in detention at a correctional facility for taking part in an illegal protest at a university in Hong Kong two years ago where he led the chanting of “seditious” slogans.
The training centre order imposed by the District Court on Wednesday will extend the time in custody for college dropout Tong Cheuk-him, who previously received shorter terms of correctional training when he was found guilty of 10 charges in two other cases.
Judge Lily Wong Sze-lai said she would offer the defendant one last chance to turn the page and spared him jail time, noting that he was only 18 when he joined the march at Chinese University on November 19, 2020.
But she stressed a custodial sentence was the only appropriate option.
“The unlawful assembly in the present case was serious in certain aspects. The defendant’s role was also very clear,” she added.
Tong pleaded guilty earlier this month to taking part in an unlawful assembly, after prosecutors decided not to pursue a case of conspiracy to utter seditious words against the former VTC Youth College student.
While unlawful assembly offences are punishable by up to five years in jail compared with two years for sedition, the latter has a higher threshold for granting bail if the case is considered to involve a threat to national security.