Hong Kong begins first trial under national security law with no jury

The first trial under Hong Kong's new national security law has begun without a jury, a watershed moment for the financial hub's fast-changing legal landscape.

Footage showed his motorcycle was flying a flag that read "Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times", a popular anti-Beijing protest slogan that is now deemed illegal under the security law.Two courts had earlier rejected Tong's plea to have his case heard by a jury, which his legal team had argued was a constitutional right given that he faces a life sentence if convicted.

The city's justice secretary invoked the no jury clause for Tong's trial arguing that juror safety could be compromised in Hong Kong's febrile political landscape, a decision first revealed by AFP. Tong's case is unusual because he is the only Hong Konger so far charged under the security law with an explicitly violent act.

But it has also transformed the city's political and legal landscape – which was historically firewalled from the authoritarian mainland. Critics, including many Western nations, say China has broken its "One country, two systems" promise that Hong Kong could maintain key freedoms after its handover from Britain in 1997.

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