Explainer: Hong Kong’s national security crackdown – month 76

October saw national security trials go on in Hong Kong while a political commentator defended himself in court over the charge of revealing details of a meeting with national security police and a retiree convicted of sedition received a mandatory hospital order.

Meanwhile, more initiatives have been rolled out to promote national security awareness, including an AI-empowered learning platform for students and picture books that were sent out to kindergartens across the city. One of Hong Kong’s biggest charities also appointed national security tutors to spread the message among service users and the wider community.

Political commentator on trial

Hong Kong political commentator Wong Kwok-ngon, who has been charged with revealing details of a national security investigation, told the court in mid-October that the police did not fully caution him about the case’s confidentiality.

Wong, known by his pen name Wong On-yin, appeared at the District Court on October 9 for the first day of his trial. The 72-year-old, who is representing himself, has been remanded in custody since his arrest in December last year.

Wong was charged with divulging information related to a national security investigation – a crime under the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, the city’s homegrown security law known locally as Article 23.

The charge relates to an incident in December 2025 when Wong was taken in by national security police on the same day he was set to appear at a press conference about the fatal Wang Fuk Court fire.

Wong and others were set to discuss topics including building renovations and unscrupulous tendering procedures for construction projects – matters which came to light in the wake of the blaze.

The press conference was eventually called off. Wong then talked about his meeting with the police in two YouTube videos, and was arrested days later.

Li Pak-him, a sergeant with the police’s National Security Department, testified on October 9 that he had given a declaration to Wong during the meeting stating that its contents and investigation details were confidential and could not be publicly disclosed.

Wong said Li only told him he could not reveal details of the meeting, but did not say that he could not even mention that a meeting had occurred.

He also said he told Li at the time that news of the National Security Department summoning him for a meeting had already been widely reported by local media.

On October 27, Wong confirmed in court that he did say in his video that he met the officers at Mong Kok Police Station, and that he described their ages and appearances.

But he said he had put in considerable thought before publishing the videos, and that it was his judgment that police were not carrying out an investigation.

Wong said he believed the meeting’s purpose was just for officers to stop the press conference from going ahead.

Man charged months after unannounced arrest

Hong Kong national security police charged a 52-year-old man in early October with allegedly making “seditious” online posts, revealing the case nearly three months after his unannounced arrest.

The police National Security Department said the man was charged with “knowingly publishing publications that had a seditious intention,” in violation of the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, locally known as Article 23.

“Investigation revealed that the arrested man was suspected of repeatedly publishing posts with seditious intentions on online social platforms, with content provoking hatred towards Beijing, the Hong Kong government and judiciary,” police said in a statement.

The man appeared at West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts on October 7 to face the charge, which carries a maximum penalty of seven years in prison, police said.

Hospital order for ‘seditious’ display

A 61-year-old woman was sentenced in mid-October to three months at a psychiatric hospital for displaying “seditious” signs on a wall outside her flat in Tin Shui Wai.

West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts convicted Yang Chau-ki of sedition on October 16. Yang told the court one day earlier that she did not intend to incite others, and she simply wanted to express her dissatisfaction over a security guard working in her building.

The retiree was accused of displaying seditious materials between March and November 2024. These included a colonial-era Hong Kong flag, a sign bearing the 2019 protest slogan “Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution of Our Times,” and another sign that read: “Expel the Communist Party, expel mainland garbage security guards.”

Yang suffers from schizophrenia and delusional disorder, according to a court-ordered psychiatric report, but she said she understood the charge and legal procedure and was deemed fit to enter a plea.

Principal Magistrate Don So said on Friday that he accepted Yang’s discontent toward the security guard. But he added that the meaning of the words she displayed went beyond that, effectively encouraging others to persist with their demands until the current system is overthrown, Ming Pao reported.

National security books for toddlers

The Security Bureau held a launch ceremony for its Andy and Security Bear: Young Citizens Safeguarding National Security educational picture books on October 27.

The three-volume set of titles includes new stories and national security-themed children’s songs. They will be distributed to 900 kindergartens and public libraries by the end of the year.

According to a press release, Secretary for Security Chris Tang said the “engaging storyline enables children to discover and learn the meaning of following rules and thinking critically, so that they can understand the importance of safeguarding national security from an early age.”

The Security Bear series was launched by the bureau in 2024. A theatre show toured schools shortly after, with the Security Bear mascot telling children that their homeland must “remain free from disruption, allowing everyone to live in peace.”

Charity appoints ‘national security tutors’ 

In early October, Po Leung Kuk, one of Hong Kong’s oldest and largest charities, appointed 16 staff members to serve as “national security tutors” under a government scheme to promote national security awareness among its workforce, service users, and members of the public.

Senior service managers May Cheung and Sherman Cheung said at the Kuk’s “national security education team” launch ceremony that they volunteered to join as tutors.

May Cheung said the team will not “force-feed” concepts of national security, but will instead spread awareness through celebrations like the Mid-Autumn Festival.

AI-powered national security platform

In early October, Hong Kong police launched an artificial intelligence-powered national security education platform for pupils.

The NSmarties AI Interactive Platform was officially launched on October 6 at a ceremony at Precious Blood Primary School in Ap Lei Chau, with about 700 pupils attending, police said in a social media post.

Police Commissioner Joe Chow said during the ceremony that the campaign aimed to “plant the seeds of national security in students’ hearts,” according to the post.

The platform, jointly developed by police and Hong Kong Qianfan Technology, allows students to generate personalised stories centred on China’s “holistic approach to national security” – a framework advocated by President Xi Jinping that covers areas ranging from politics and the economy to ecology and technology.

UK slammed over Hong Kong report

Hong Kong authorities criticised the UK on October 23 for making “untruthful remarks, slanders and smears” about the city’s affairs in its latest six-monthly report that described the “expanding scope and application” of national security laws in the financial hub.

The Hong Kong government said that it “strongly condemns and firmly rejects” the UK’s report on the city, a British colony before it was handed back to Chinese rule in 1997.

“The [Hong Kong] Government strongly urges the UK again to discern facts from fallacies, respect the international law and basic norms governing international relations, and immediately stop its long-arm jurisdiction and interference in Hong Kong matters, which are purely China’s internal affairs,” the spokesperson added.

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