A Hong Kong man charged with inciting subversion under the Beijing-imposed national security law will have his case transferred to the District Court, where he faces up to seven years’ imprisonment if convicted.
Chan Ho-hin, a former waiter, appeared at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts on Wednesday in a case linked to social media posts on X and Instagram published between June 2024 and April this year.
Chan was originally charged with the lesser offence of publishing articles with seditious intent under the city’s homegrown security law, the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, also known as Article 23.
But prosecutors later upgraded his charge to the more serious offence of subversion under the Beijing-imposed national security law.
National security judge Victor So said Chan would next appear at the District Court on August 21.
Chan has been remanded in custody since he was arrested and charged in late April. He did not apply for bail on Wednesday.
As of early August, a total of 96 people have been charged under the national security law, according to the Security Bureau.
In June 2020, Beijing inserted national security legislation directly into Hong Kong’s mini-constitution – bypassing the local legislature – following a year of pro-democracy protests and unrest.
The law gave police sweeping new powers, alarming democrats, civil society groups and trade partners, as such laws have been used broadly to silence and punish dissidents in China. However, the authorities say it has restored stability and peace to the city.
