Hong Kong leader says prisoners jailed for national security crimes unlikely to get early release

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong’s leader said Tuesday that prisoners convicted for serious national security crimes would not likely be granted early release under the tightened rules of a new national security law, signaling a hardening government stance against jailed political activists.

Chief Executive John Lee said the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance stipulates that people found guilty of endangering national security must not be granted remission unless the commissioner of correctional services believes the move would not be a national security risk. This also applies to inmates who received sentences before the new law was introduced last Saturday, Lee said.

Previously, inmates could have their prison sentences reduced by up to one-third for good conduct under the city’s prison rules, provided they were serving terms longer than one month.

At a weekly press briefing, Lee urged residents not to defy the law.

“We need to make sure everyone understands that if someone was convicted of serious national security offenses, normally there would not be remission of sentence,” he said.

Lee’s comments came after local media, including the South China Morning Post, reported that the early release of activist Ma Chun-man, which had been scheduled for Monday, was blocked under the new national security law. The remission had been granted due to his good conduct and the blockage was the first of its kind, according to the reports, which cited unnamed sources.

The revised practice is expected to affect other activists who are jailed or undergoing trials under a similar sweeping security law imposed by Beijing four years ago to quell massive anti-government protests in 2019.

The Associated Press could not independently verify