HONG KONG: On Monday, four former student leaders, Kinson Cheung, Charles Kwok, Chris Todorovski, and Anthony Yung, were handed a two-year prison sentence for their involvement in passing a motion within the University of Hong Kong’s student union council.
This motion expressed “deep sadness” and acknowledged the “sacrifice” of an individual who had stabbed a police officer before taking his own life in 2021.
The context for this resolution was the prevailing public discontent with the police’s handling of the 2019 pro-democracy protests, where they were criticized for using excessive force. Judge Adriana Noelle Tse Ching, during the sentencing, noted that the language used in the motion had the potential to incite hostility towards the police. She emphasized the gravity of the charges faced by the four individuals, stating that a lenient sentence would convey the wrong message to society.
The incident in question involved Leung Kin-fai, who had attacked a police officer with a knife before fatally turning the weapon on himself on July 1, 2021, the anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover from British to Chinese rule in 1997. Local authorities characterized Leung as a “lone wolf” domestic terrorist who had become politically radicalized.
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The motion’s passage led to criticism from both the university and Hong Kong’s security bureau, prompting Kwok and his colleagues to issue apologies and retract the resolution. Some student leaders also resigned from their positions in the wake of the controversy.
However, the apologies did not quell the political turmoil, and in August 2021, the police arrested the four individuals. Initially, they had been charged with advocating terrorism under a national security law imposed by Beijing in response to the 2019 protests. Nonetheless, this charge was dropped after they pleaded guilty to an alternative charge of incitement to wound with intent.
The national security law has been used to prosecute or silence numerous prominent activists, part of a broader crackdown on dissent. Beijing and the Hong Kong government contend that the law has contributed to restoring stability in the city.
