Hong Kong police charge first person under national security law imposed by China

Hong Kong police on July 3 said that it has brought charges against a man under the new controversial national security law. According to reports, a 24-year-old man has been charged with one count of inciting others for secession and one count of terrorist activity after he was detained on July 1 for driving his motorcycle into a group of policemen with a pro-independence slogan written on the back of it. Media reports suggest that the man drove his motorcycle with a flag that read, 'Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution of our Times', a slogan that is popular among pro-democracy campaigners.

The video of the incident shot by bystanders was shared on social media, where the man can be seen driving his orange motorbike into a group of riot police officers before falling to the ground.

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Hong Kong police on July 1 made their first arrests under the security law after it detained seven people for showing materials with pro-independence slogans, of which three were women. People were gathered to mark the 23rd anniversary of Hong Kong's handover to China, where they also protested against the security law. Hong Kong police said gatherings of more than 50 people are banned in the city keeping in mind the coronavirus restrictions and used tear gas and pepper spray to disperse the crowd. 

Read: Hong Kong Activists Planning To Create 'parliament-in-exile' As China Imposes Security Law

New security law

The new security law against which people have been protesting for months was signed into effect on June 30 by Chinese President Xi Jinping. The new national security law gives sweeping powers to Beijing in Hong Kong's internal affairs that critics argue will further suffocate the freedoms enjoyed by the residents of the former British colony. The bill has also garnered widespread condemnation from governments and business people across the world, who have warned China of reciprocal actions. 

Read: Hong Kong Police Arrest 180 Protesters Under Security Law For Raising Independence Slogans

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