Hong Kong waiter charged with inciting subversion under national security law

22-year-old alleged to have incited others to organise, plan, commit or participate in overthrowing Beijing and the Hong Kong government

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Police have charged 189 people and five companies over national security offences since Beijing imposed the national security law on Hong Kong in June 2020. Photo: Dickson Lee

Published: 7:48pm, 9 Jul 2025Updated: 8:29pm, 9 Jul 2025

A waiter has become the latest person charged under the national security law, with prosecutors accusing him of inciting others to overthrow Beijing and the Hong Kong government in a series of social media posts.

Chan Ho-hin, 22, on Wednesday saw his original sedition charge upgraded to one of inciting subversion after West Kowloon Court approved a prosecution request to amend the indictment.

The defendant has been remanded in custody since he was first charged on April 30 with a count of knowingly publishing articles with seditious intent under the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, the domestic national security law.

He allegedly published a series of statements, pictures and videos on X and Instagram between June 2024 and April this year with a view to fostering hatred and contempt towards mainland China’s “fundamental system” and to incite others to break the law.

The new subversion charge alleges that Chan incited others to “organise, plan, commit or participate in … overthrowing the body of central power of the People’s Republic of China or the body of power of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region”.

Elisa Cheng Wing-yu, a senior public prosecutor, said her team required additional time to prepare the necessary paperwork to move the case to the District Court.

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Hong Kong waiter charged with inciting subversion under national security law

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}22-year-old alleged to have incited others to organise, plan, commit or participate in overthrowing Beijing and the Hong Kong government

22-year-old alleged to have incited others to organise, plan, commit or participate in overthrowing Beijing and the Hong Kong government