HONG KONG, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- The recent Hong Kong court's sentence on a man who desecrated the Chinese national flag was widely considered too lenient, and public and legal experts in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) have urged the Department of Justice to appeal.
The Shatin Magistrates' Courts on Tuesday sentenced 21-year-old defendant surnamed Law to 200 hours of community service for one count of desecrating the national flag.
Law had pleaded guilty to trampling on a national flag, throwing it into a rubbish bin, and later taking it out and throwing it into a pool on Sept. 22. It was the first of several cases involving the national flag desecration during recent social unrest in Hong Kong to receive a ruling.
According to the National Flag and National Emblem Ordinance, desecrating the national flag is an offense punishable by up to three years in prison.
Leung Chun-ying, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said the ruling will cause anger in the whole country.
"As the magistrate said there is no sentencing guideline, the Department of Justice must appeal," Leung said on his Facebook page.
Earlier, a man was sentenced to four weeks in jail for spraying paint on the outer walls of the U.S. Consulate General in Hong Kong.
Ma Yan-kwok, barrister and chairman of the Hong Kong Legal Exchange Foundation, said the sentence of 200 hours' community service was obviously too lenient.
Ma added that the magistrate in this case ignored the fact that the national flag is a symbol of national dignity, urging the Justice Department to appeal the case.
Ng Wing-ka, a member of the Legislative Council of the HKSAR, said the process of the rioter insulting the national flag showed that the case was organized and premeditated, which was quite serious.
He said the national flag defilement is a direct attack on the dignity and symbol of the country, adding that the community service order failed to recognize the seriousness of the case.
Chan Man-ki, founding president of the Small and Medium Law Firms Association of Hong Kong, said the national flag is a symbol representing dignity, unity and territorial integrity of the country.
Urging the Justice Department to appeal, she said the court should send a clear and strong message to the society that defiling the national flag is a serious offense punishable by imprisonment.
On Wednesday, a civil society group also submitted a letter of petition, urging the Department of Justice to appeal against the lenient sentence of the case so as to shoulder the responsibility of maintaining public confidence in Hong Kong's legal system.
According to HKSAR's National Flag and National Emblem Ordinance, any abuse of either of those symbols, if convicted, will face a maximum penalty of three years in prison, and a fine of 50,000 HK dollars (6,380 U.S. dollars).
