Australian-Chinese dual citizen being prosecuted for 'subversion' under Hong Kong's National Security Law

Canberra has revealed that an Australian-Chinese dual national is being prosecuted under Hong Kong's sweeping national security law and could face life in jail in a development that is likely to further inflame tensions between Canberra and Beijing, according to a media report.

Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has not named the man, but said that he was arrested on January 6 last year. That indicates he is one of the 47 Hong Kong pro-democracy activists and politicians detained that day as part of a broader crackdown on civil society in the city, reported ABC News.

The man was arrested for "conspiring to subvert state power". He was released on bail the next day but was then re-arrested on March 1 when attending court, and charged with "subversion", said the Australian publication.

A DFAT spokesperson said that the Australian Consulate-General in Hong Kong was notified by Hong Kong authorities of the arrest of a dual Australian-Chinese citizen under its National Security Law in January 2021, according to ABC News.

The spokesperson has also informed that officials from the Australian Consulate-General have attended the subsequent court hearings.

"However, we have been denied consular access despite multiple attempts because the individual is deemed to be a Chinese citizen under China's citizenship laws, which do not recognise dual nationality," said the spokesperson.

The Australian-Chinese man has passed a time of nearly 11 months in jail and under the national security law, he could face a heavy penalty.

The security law is designed to extinguish political opposition to the Chinese Communist Party in the former British colony Hong Kong, according to ABC News.

( With inputs from ANI )