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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》First minors sentenced under HK security law
Pro-democracy activist Alexandra Wong, also known as Grandma Wong, gestures outside the Wanchai District Dourt in Hong Kong on Sept. 10. Photo: AFP
AFP, HONG KONG
The first minors convicted under Hong Kong’s national security law were yesterday sentenced to detention in a training center by a judge who said their calls to overthrow the Chinese government must be met with deterrence.
A 16-year-old girl and three 17-year-olds were members of a little-known pro-independence group that called itself “Returning Valiant” and promoted a violent uprising against China at street booths and on social media last year, the court heard.
They were charged with “conspiracy to incite subversion” under Hong Kong’s National Security Law imposed by Beijing to stamp out dissent after huge and sometimes violent democracy protests three years ago.
District Court Judge Kwok Wai Kin （郭偉健） said the defendants’ message could have turned peaceful demonstrators violent — even though he conceded there was no direct evidence of anyone being incited.
“Even if one person is incited, Hong Kong’s stability and residents’ safety could have been greatly harmed,” Kwok said.
The four teens all pleaded guilty last month alongside fellow defendant Kwok Man-hei （郭文希）, 19.
All five were sentenced to up to three years at a training center, a rehabilitation-focused detention facility which can be a sentencing option for teens aged 14 to 20.
In a previous hearing, prosecutor Stella Lo （勞泳珊） said the group spread its messages outside busy railway stations, held news conferences and online broadcasts over the span of four months.
The defendants cited the French Revolution and Ukraine’s struggle for democratization over the past decade to support their cause, the court heard.
Flyers handed out by the group also quoted former Chinese Communist Party chairman Mao Zedong （毛澤東） saying that “revolution is not a dinner party,” but “an act of violence by which one class overthrows another,” Lo added.
Some of the teenagers were still at school when they were arrested.
The case also involves two adult defendants, whose sentences are to be decided separately next month.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
