HONG KONG: Hong Kong’s chief mentioned Tuesday that folks convicted on nationwide safety prices would not be eligible for early launch for good behaviour, below a brand new regulation enacted by town’s authorities over the weekend.His feedback got here after native media reported that democracy activist Ma Chun-man, who was convicted in 2021 for “incitement of secession” and was anticipated to be launched Monday, had been held again.Hong Kong’s large and at instances violent pro-democracy protests in 2019 introduced a whole bunch of hundreds to the streets demanding larger autonomy from Beijing.In response, authorities cracked down on protesters and Beijing imposed a nationwide safety regulation in 2020, which was supplemented by a brand new homegrown one enacted over the weekend.”It’s been made very clear that if a prisoner is serving a sentence in respect to his conviction of an offence endangering national security, the prisoner is not entitled to remission,” chief John Lee mentioned Tuesday in regards to the new regulation when requested about Ma’s case. Generally known as “Article 23″, the regulation additionally applies to these sentenced earlier than it was handed, he mentioned.”The ordinance has also made it clear that the new rule applies no matter if the sentence of the prisoner was imposed before or after the commencement of the relevant amendment,” Lee mentioned, including exceptions may very well be made by the correctional providers commissioner.The brand new regulation got here into pressure Saturday — two days earlier than Ma’s scheduled launch — placing into instant impact robust penalties of as much as life imprisonment for sure nationwide safety crimes, together with treason and riot.The brand new regulation additionally amended Hong Kong’s jail guidelines, eradicating a doable one-third sentence discount as a consequence of good behaviour for prisoners convicted of crimes of both the safety regulation or different offences deemed nationwide safety threats by authorities.Ma, 34 — nicknamed “Captain America 2.0” for carrying a reproduction of the Marvel superhero’s protect at protest rallies in 2019 — was convicted of “incitement to secession” in 2021.He had efficiently appealed to scale back his sentence by 9 months to 5 years in 2022 as attraction judges deemed his culpability as “relatively low”.Beneath the brand new regulation, Ma must stay behind bars for an additional 20 months.”This is exactly telling everyone –- do not attempt to carry out any acts or activities that endanger national security as remission is generally not allowed. Do not challenge the law,” Lee mentioned Tuesday. Lee, who was Hong Kong’s safety chief throughout the protests and sanctioned by the US for his position, added that anybody unhappy with the choice “can seek through legal avenues for a court’s adjudication”. The Correctional Providers Division declined to touch upon particular person circumstances.”The Commissioner… will consider the actual circumstances of the case and all relevant factors, including the prisoner’s representation,” the division mentioned in an announcement Monday.
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