Hong Kong activist charged under national security law
March 24, 2021
Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Andy Li was charged on Wednesday with "conspiracy to commit collusion" with a foreign country to endanger national security.
The charges come two days after the 30-year-old was released from a prison in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen after completing his jail sentence.
Li, along with 11 other activists, had been detained after trying to flee to Taiwan by speed boat in August last year.
All had faced charges in Hong Kong over the pro-democracy protest movement.
What are the charges?
The city's West Kowloon Court charged Li with possession of ammunition without a licence. The ammunition in question included tear gas canisters and other crowd control munitions.
A court charge sheet seen by various media outlets showed that the activist was also charged with conspiring to assist criminals during his attempted escape to Taiwan.
It also showed that police accuse the activist of "conspiring together" with Jimmy Lai, a prominent media tycoon and Beijing critic, as well as with US citizen Mark Simon and several other persons — to get foreign countries to "impose sanctions" on Hong Kong leaders and "engage in other hostile activities" against China.
If convicted under the sweeping national security law, Li could face a life sentence.
Critics say Beijing has tightened its grip on the semi-autonomous financial hub with mass arrests of pro-democracy protesters as well as curbs on demonstrations and free speech. More than 100 people have been arrested under the law since it was enacted in Beijing, not in Hong Kong's own legislature, in June.
mvb/msh (AFP, Reuters)