A Hong Kong court sentenced a man to 23 years and 10 months in prison on Nov. 14 for orchestrating a bomb plot aimed at attacking the city’s security forces during the pro-democracy and anti-Beijing protests that took place five years ago.
Ng Chi-hung, 28, had previously pleaded guilty to one count of possession of arms or ammunition with the intent to endanger life and one count of engaging in “conspiracy to commit bombing of prescribed objects,” a charge under the United Nations (Anti-Terrorism Measures) Ordinance.
Judge Judianna Barnes said the case is the first-ever prosecution under the U.N. anti-terrorism legislation. Hong Kong enacted this law in 2002 to comply with a U.N. Security Council resolution passed after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States.
It also represents the longest sentence handed down in a case related to the 2019 protests, during which more than a million people came to the streets demanding greater freedom in the face of Beijing’s growing control over the former British colony.
Ng was among the seven defendants who appeared in the High Court on Nov. 14 for their roles in the plot to commit bombings and shoot police officers during a rally in December 2019, amid the peak of the mass pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.
The 26-year-old Wong Chun-keung—leader of a protest group known as “Dragon Slayers,” which the authorities claim was behind the plot—was sentenced to 13 years and six months imprisonment. The five other men received jail terms ranging from nearly six years to 12 years each.
Steve Li, the chief superintendent of the National Security Department of the police, called Ng’s sentence the harshest for any offense related to the 2019 protests to date. Speaking to reporters in Cantonese on Nov. 14 after the sentences were delivered, he said he believed the case could have “a substantial deterrent effect.”
Li indicated that the authorities were considering filing a review application to the Court of Appeal regarding the sentencing decision in this case.
In a later statement, the Hong Kong government described this case as “very serious.” The government spokesperson said if similar situations arise in the future, the authorities would resort to the Beijing-imposed national security law and the newly enacted Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, commonly known as Article 23
Under Article 23, which went into effect in late March, offenses such as treason, insurrection, and sabotage are punishable by a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
The new law, which has drawn international condemnation, builds upon similar legislation imposed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in Hong Kong four years ago in the wake of mass pro-democracy protests.
Thousands of Hongkongers have been arrested and charged in connection with the 2019 protests, which were initially sparked by the Hong Kong government’s plan to allow extradition to mainland China.
The latest ruling came just days before the fate of 45 pro-democracy legislators and activists in a separate national security case was tentatively set to be revealed on Nov. 19, many of whom have been in custody since 2021 for an alleged subversive plot.
The Epoch Times’ Hong Kong staff and Reuters contributed to this report.
