Hong Kong court convicts man under security law for inciting secession with chants and speech

Ma Chun-man’s senior defence counsel Edwin Choy argued that his client was “immature” when he chanted pro-independence slogans in 2020.

A Hong Kong court has found a man guilty of inciting secession under the security law over the content of slogans he chanted and speeches he made in 2020. He is the second person to be convicted under the controversial security law, enacted by Beijing last year.

Ma Chun-man, 30, was accused of chanting slogans and making speeches calling for Hong Kong’s independence on at least 20 public occasions, and via social media, between August and November 2020.

The verdict was handed down by District Court Judge Stanley Chan on Monday afternoon, after a four-day trial. Chan said he believed Ma’s speech demonstrated that he clearly intended to incite secession, a violation under the national security law. Ma “advocated a clear political intention” and was “without reservation,” he added.

Ma, nicknamed “Captain America 2.0,” was a regular sight at the 2019 protests. He had been in custody for 10 months since his arrest last November and faced a maximum of seven years’ imprisonment upon conviction.

Judge Chan heard closing submissions from Ma’s senior defence counsel Edwin Choy and from prosecutor Laura Ng in early October. Choy argued that his client was “immature” when he chanted pro-independence slogans in 2020.

Ma’s intention was to prove that the security law would not silence free speech, Choy said, and he was not making sincere calls for independence.

Hong Kong court convicts man under security law for inciting secession with chants and speech