Hong Kong police file first charges under national security law

Hard-line official named to oversee implementation as activist Nathan Law flees city

Supporters of an arrested anti-security law protester in Hong Kong raise blank signs outside a courthouse on July 3 to avoid slogans that have been banned under the new legislation. © Reuters

MICHELLE CHAN and DEAN NAPOLITANO, Nikkei staff writers

July 3, 2020 15:00 JST

Updated on July 3, 2020 21:27 JST

HONG KONG -- Police in Hong Kong on Friday laid their first criminal charges under the new national security law that Beijing this week imposed on the former British colony.

A 23-year-old man was charged with terrorism and secession for allegedly crashing a motorcycle into a group of police officers during a demonstration on Wednesday to mark the 23rd anniversary of Hong Kong's return to Chinese control. The man reportedly was carrying a flag with the popular protest slogan, "Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times."