Man jailed under security law says he was swayed by society’s atmosphere in Hong Kong police-promoted TV show
Hong Kong Free Press
The first person jailed under the national security law has been featured in a Hong Kong police-promoted television special, saying he was swayed by the atmosphere in society when he committed his offence.
Tong Ying-kit, who is serving a nine-year sentence for incitement to secession and terrorist activities, appeared in a programme on broadcaster TVB on Wednesday. The programme, National Security Law – the Cornerstone of Prosperity and Stability, featured clips of Tong in a prison courtyard and a cell.
It was the second time in a week that the programme had featured an apparent expression of regret by an inmate jailed as a result of the protests and unrest that began in 2019.
“My thoughts were affected by society’s atmosphere,” Tong said in Cantonese, his back to the camera in the two-minute clip. “I felt like besides violence, there was no other way to solve [problems].”
Tong was arrested on July 1, 2020, the day after the Beijing-imposed security law was enacted, for driving a motorcycle with a flag reading “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times” – a protest slogan – into three police officers. He was 23 at the time.
He pleaded not guilty and was denied bail while awaiting trial. The three national security judges who presided over his case convicted him in July 2021 after a 15-day trial, which took place without a jury in a departure from common law tradition.
Tong was slated to challenge his conviction and sentencing at the Court of Appeal, but later dropped the plan.
In the police-promoted show, Tong said he had a elderly grandmother. “By the time I am out [of prison], she may not be alive. Actually, I am really punishing the people around me,” he said.
The National Security Law – the Cornerstone of Prosperity and Stability programme released its first episode at the end of November. The 12-episode show is also uploaded to the police YouTube channel and Facebook page.
Wednesday’s episode starring Tong is the last in the series.
Last week, the same television special featured Tsang Chi-kin, a protester who was shot by police during clashes in 2019 and hid in safe houses for two years before a failed attempt to flee to Taiwan. He was sentenced to three years and 11 months in prison in October after he pleaded guilty to charges including rioting and perverting the course of justice.
In the show, Tsang expressed remorse over his frontline participation in the unrest that year, saying he took part because “everyone else was doing the same.”
Police said in an earlier reply to HKFP that the programme was produced by TVB to “enhance public understanding” and “rectify the misconceptions about the law,” and that police had provided information to the broadcaster including “brief facts of concluded court cases.”
In the episode released on Wednesday, cameras did not film Tong head on, only showing him at an angle or from the back. It is unclear how police gained access to Tong in custody.
Clips of Tong speaking were interspersed with videos of the protests and unrest in 2019, showing demonstrators setting fires on the street and erecting roadblocks to snarl traffic.
Tong also said in the episode that he had joined a programme run by the Correctional Services Department to learn how to manage his emotions and plan his life after release. He is also studying at Ethics College, an initiative run by the department to offer one-year diplomas equivalent to a pass in the Diploma of Secondary Education.
Since Tong’s arrest, scores more have been apprehended under the national security law, imposed by Beijing following months of protests and unrest over a controversial extradition bill. The law criminalised subversion, secession, collusion with foreign forces and terrorist acts – broadly defined to include disruption to transport and other infrastructure.
The move gave police sweeping new powers and led to hundreds of convictions for various offences amid new legal precedents. The city’s press freedom index has also plummeted. Authorities, however, maintain that the law has restored stability and peace to the city.
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