#WhiteTerror #FreedomofReligion
Cardinal Joseph Zen appears in court in Hong Kong on day of prayer for China

Ninety-year-old retired Catholic cardinal #JosephZen hosted a packed mass in Hong Kong on the World Day of Prayer for the Church in China, just hours after a brief court hearing over charges linked to pro-democracy protests.

In his homily after pleading not guilty to charges of failing to register a pro-democracy association to Hong Kong Police, Zen chose not to speak about his legal case, but to highlight how Catholics in some parts of China cannot attend Mass right now — for they have no freedom now.

Zen dedicated the mass to churches in China where believers are still split between a so-called “underground” church resistant to the government, and a state-sanctioned church belonging to the Chinese Communist Party’s Patriotic Catholic Association.

In his remarks at Mass, Zen again criticised the deal between China and the #Vatican that allows Beijing to nominate bishops for the pope’s approval, calling it “unwise” despite being made with “good intention”.

"There is an urge to unify those above the ground and those underground but it seems that time is not ripe yet,” Zen said.

Implying that there may be more difficult times ahead, Zen said that “we may have to bear some pain and steel ourselves for our loyalty to our faith.”

He also dedicated prayers to churches in Myanmar led by #CardinalBo, his most outspoken supporter in Asia, as well as “brothers and sisters who cannot join tonight because they are not free”.

Zen, one of Asia’s highest-ranking Catholic clerics, was among five prominent democracy advocates — including activist and singer #DeniseHo and veteran human rights barrister #MargaretNg — who were arrested in early May. His arrest is part of a national security police probe into foreign collusion over a legal support fund for pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong.

Instead, all five of the fund’s former trustees and its secretary were charged on May 24 with failing to register it as a “society” with police — a non-national security offence. All plead not guilty.

#NationalSecurityLaw #PoliceState #PoliticalProsecution #Oppression

Image source: #FirstHand
Sources: Reuters, HKFP, UCA News; #May25
https://www.reuters.com/world/china/hong-kong-catholic-cardinal-criticises-china-deal-after-national-security-arrest-2022-05-24/

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https://publielectoral.lat/guardiansofhongkong/32764

612 Fund Trustees and Secretary Plead Not Guilty for "Non-registered organisation" Charge
https://publielectoral.lat/guardiansofhongkong/32751
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#Court #PoliceState
66-year-old #GrandmaWong sentenced to 32-week jail after waving Union Jack Flag in Hong Kong

On 13 July, 2022, 66-year-old Wong Fung-yiu, known as “Grandma Wong”, a pro-democracy Hongkonger, pleads guilty to unlawful assembly and is sentenced to 32 weeks imprisonment for waving the Union Jack flag in Hong Kong. She claims that she was interrogated by China's Public Security authorities two days after the flag waving incident.

“Grandma Wong” was charged for two counts of unlawful assembly in August 2019 at Quarry Bay Station and Taikoo Station, waving the Union Jack flag at demonstrations and verbally abusing the police.

In February 2022, Grandma Wong pleaded not guilty and initiated to cancel her bail. She was escorted to the Eastern Magistrates' Courts on 13 July, 2022. During trial, she was not happy with the “snail speed” of the trial and thus changed her plea, stating “I will take the rap” as she does not want to die in jail like Liu Xiaobo [deceased Nobel Peace Prize winner]. She was jailed for 32 weeks by magistrate Ada Yim.

Furthermore, Grandma Wong revealed that she went to China two days after the flag waving incident and was detained by the local “Public Security” for 40 days interrogating her about her case. Magistrate Yim raised questions about this and the prosecutor responded that they could contact the mainland police but it might take three to four months to get a reply. Defendant Grandma Wong indicated there was no need to wait. In the end, magistrate Yim pointed out that the defendant had not been prosecuted elsewhere, thus the sentence would not be commuted.

Source: InMedia #Jul13
https://bit.ly/3c4gAgR

#PoliticalProsecution #PoliticalPrisoner #AntiELAB #UnionJack

#MyanmarJunta executes leading democracy activists

//Myanmar's military junta executed two prominent pro-democracy activists and two other men accused of terrorism, state media reported Monday, following a trial condemned by the #UN and rights groups.

Veteran democracy activist #KyawMinYu, better known as #KoJimmy, and former #NationalLeagueforDemocracy lawmaker #PhyoZayarThaw were executed, along with #HlaMyoAung and #AungThuraZaw, the Global New Light of Myanmar reported, without giving a date.

Their deaths mark the first judicial executions in the country in decades, andhuman rights groups fear more will follow. According to #HumanRightsWatch, 114 people have been sentenced to death in Myanmar since the military seized power in a coup in February 2021.//

Read the full article:
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/07/24/asia/myanmar-executions-pro-democracy-figures-intl-hnk/index.html

Source: CNN #Jul24

#DeathSentence #Authoritarianism #Tyranny #PoliticalProsecution #StandWithMyanmar