Overview

• Ma Chun-man, jailed for inciting secession during Hong Kong's 2019 pro-democracy protests, was denied early release despite good behavior in prison.
• The new 2024 national security law requires the Commissioner of Correctional Services to certify that sentence remission poses no risk to national security, effectively raising the bar for early release eligibility.
• Judge Alex Lee ruled that the decision to deny Ma's early release was legally sound and procedurally fair, dismissing Ma's claim that he was not properly informed of the decision.
• Ma's case is the first judicial review under the 2024 law, which applies retroactively to prisoners convicted of national security offenses under the 2020 law imposed by Beijing.
• Critics argue that the national security laws erode freedoms promised to Hong Kong under its handover agreement, while authorities defend them as necessary for stability following the 2019 protests.