Hong Kong’s First Trial Under National Security Law Hears Closing Arguments

HONG KONG - The trial of the first person charged under Hong Kong’s national security law is set to wrap up on Tuesday, with the defendant denied bail and a jury in a landmark case that critics say is a departure from common law. 

Former waiter Tong Ying-kit, 24, has pleaded not guilty to charges of terrorism, inciting secession as well as an alternative charge of dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm on July 1 last year, shortly after the law was enacted.  Hong Kong’s common law has traditionally allowed defendants to seek release unless prosecutors can show lawful grounds for their detention.  Under the new law, which some Western governments and rights groups say is being used to crush dissent in the global financial hub, the burden rests with the defendant to prove they will not break the law if released on bail.