Forwarded from 📡Guardians of Hong Kong
#TonyeeChow #Court
Hong Kong Judge Questions Arrested Pro-democracy Barrister: Can You Access Internet in Jail?
Barrister Tonyee Chow Hang-tung is a pro-democracy activist in Hong Kong and the former Vice Chairperson of Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China. The now-disbanded Alliance was known for organizing the annual June 4 vigil in Hong Kong to commemorate the victims of the Tianamen Square Massacre in Beijing in 1989.
She was arrested for state subversion by the Hong Kong authority.
The authority accused her of calling on citizens to participate in June 4th commemorative event in 2020, which was banned by the government. Chow was charged with "inciting others to participate in an unauthorised assembly".
The case was heard in Hong Kong's West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts by Judge Chan Wai-mun on October 5, 2021.
Chow, who has been detained since her arrest, stated that she would defend herself and make her own statement. She will argue whether it is constitutional to restrict the dispute to freedom and whether the related article she disseminsted can ce considered as an "incitement".
Due to the limited resources she has when on remand, Chow asked for one to two weeks' time for preparation.
The Judge then questioned her, “Where did you find the law books in jail? Can you access Internet?” The query made citizens attending the session laughed.
Chow responded that she would rely on her professional knowledge of law and seek help from friends.
Source: Stand News #Oct5
https://bit.ly/2ZXtBCZ
#June4 #HKASPDMC #Vigil #TiananmenSquareMassacre #Internet #ChowHangTung #CivilSociety #Law #Alliance
Hong Kong Judge Questions Arrested Pro-democracy Barrister: Can You Access Internet in Jail?
Barrister Tonyee Chow Hang-tung is a pro-democracy activist in Hong Kong and the former Vice Chairperson of Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China. The now-disbanded Alliance was known for organizing the annual June 4 vigil in Hong Kong to commemorate the victims of the Tianamen Square Massacre in Beijing in 1989.
She was arrested for state subversion by the Hong Kong authority.
The authority accused her of calling on citizens to participate in June 4th commemorative event in 2020, which was banned by the government. Chow was charged with "inciting others to participate in an unauthorised assembly".
The case was heard in Hong Kong's West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts by Judge Chan Wai-mun on October 5, 2021.
Chow, who has been detained since her arrest, stated that she would defend herself and make her own statement. She will argue whether it is constitutional to restrict the dispute to freedom and whether the related article she disseminsted can ce considered as an "incitement".
Due to the limited resources she has when on remand, Chow asked for one to two weeks' time for preparation.
The Judge then questioned her, “Where did you find the law books in jail? Can you access Internet?” The query made citizens attending the session laughed.
Chow responded that she would rely on her professional knowledge of law and seek help from friends.
Source: Stand News #Oct5
https://bit.ly/2ZXtBCZ
#June4 #HKASPDMC #Vigil #TiananmenSquareMassacre #Internet #ChowHangTung #CivilSociety #Law #Alliance
Forwarded from 📡Guardians of Hong Kong
#Court #RulebyLaw
Catch-22: Authority Rejects Reference Books Sent to Activist Lawyer Detained for Subversion, Due to Content about Subversion
Tonyee #ChowHangTung, the former vice-chairperson of Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China (#HKASPDMC), is in detention on charges of inciting subversion of state power. A lawyer by trade, she intends to represent herself in her upcoming trial, and is preparing her own defense while in custody.
In an article on her Patreon published on October 23, she mentioned that her relatives and friends recently tried to send books about the late activist Szeto Wah and the Tiananmen Massacre in 1989, but the Hong Kong Correctional Services (#HKCS) rejected them.
(Editor's note: Szeto Wah was the founder of the Hong Kong Alliance (#HKA) and was one of the most influential activists in Hong Kong who worked for decades to establish, preserve and protect Hong Kong people's democratic institutions, freedom and human rights.)
One of the books, she quoted an HKCS staff, "mentions behaviours of subverting state power". The decision could not be appealed, the staff added.
Chow questions whether the HKCS had assumed the role of the judge, making a fair trial impossible. The books are reference materials for her to prepare for her own defense in the trial, she said.
"If I can't have access to information about the Alliance and the June 4th incident, I would have no chance to find evidence to refute these accusations."
The Correctional Services have set up a perfect catch-22, she said of the arrangement. "This would guarantee the prosecution a win."
Source: Stand News #Oct23
https://thestandnews.page.link/Xwr8mUcpXtD6Q2MGA
#TonyeeChow #NSL #PrisonerRights #HongKongAlliance #HKASPDMC #June4th #TiananmenMassacre #SzetoWah
Catch-22: Authority Rejects Reference Books Sent to Activist Lawyer Detained for Subversion, Due to Content about Subversion
Tonyee #ChowHangTung, the former vice-chairperson of Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China (#HKASPDMC), is in detention on charges of inciting subversion of state power. A lawyer by trade, she intends to represent herself in her upcoming trial, and is preparing her own defense while in custody.
In an article on her Patreon published on October 23, she mentioned that her relatives and friends recently tried to send books about the late activist Szeto Wah and the Tiananmen Massacre in 1989, but the Hong Kong Correctional Services (#HKCS) rejected them.
(Editor's note: Szeto Wah was the founder of the Hong Kong Alliance (#HKA) and was one of the most influential activists in Hong Kong who worked for decades to establish, preserve and protect Hong Kong people's democratic institutions, freedom and human rights.)
One of the books, she quoted an HKCS staff, "mentions behaviours of subverting state power". The decision could not be appealed, the staff added.
Chow questions whether the HKCS had assumed the role of the judge, making a fair trial impossible. The books are reference materials for her to prepare for her own defense in the trial, she said.
"If I can't have access to information about the Alliance and the June 4th incident, I would have no chance to find evidence to refute these accusations."
The Correctional Services have set up a perfect catch-22, she said of the arrangement. "This would guarantee the prosecution a win."
Source: Stand News #Oct23
https://thestandnews.page.link/Xwr8mUcpXtD6Q2MGA
#TonyeeChow #NSL #PrisonerRights #HongKongAlliance #HKASPDMC #June4th #TiananmenMassacre #SzetoWah
Forwarded from 📡Guardians of Hong Kong
#Court #PoliticalOppression
"It was Conscience that Drove Hongkongers for 32 years to Mourn June 4th": Tonyee Chow Defends Herself in Court Against June 4 Unlawful Assembly Charge
Tonyee #ChowHangTung, former Vice-Chairperson of Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China (#HKASPDMC), was accused of promoting and calling on others to participate in the June 4 rally, and had earlier pleaded not guilty to the charge of inciting others to participate in an unauthorized assembly. The case was resumed in the West Kowloon Magistrates Court on Oct 25th.
Tonyee, who is herself a barrister, represented herself in court. She mentioned that all the cases brought against her are related to the Alliance and June 4th. The authorities are piling on these charges, showing that the regime is attempting to suppress and eliminate the memory of June 4th step by step.
She reiterated that after the police banned the rally this year, the Alliance had publicly announced that it would not hold a candlelight rally in Victoria Park. She has since written articles and taken interviews, in which she had simply appealed to the public to overcome their fears and continue to mourn June 4 through personal actions. She questioned how a call for action with no specified location could incite an unauthorized assembly, saying that the regime "might as well admit directly that what is forbidden is the June 4 memorial itself".
Tonyee stressed that it was not anyone's incitement that drove the people of Hong Kong to mourn June 4th for 32 years; rather, it was every person's conscience. "If the court wants to use the word 'incite', it ought to say that it was the people of Hong Kong who had incited me to do this."
And if she were to be punished for it, she would have no regrets, she said.
Source: Stand News; #Oct25
Full account of Tonyee's defense speech (in Chinese) : https://thestandnews.page.link/o3zrFQwM34J6m8ky9
#June4 #HongKong #Democracy #Protest #Court
"It was Conscience that Drove Hongkongers for 32 years to Mourn June 4th": Tonyee Chow Defends Herself in Court Against June 4 Unlawful Assembly Charge
Tonyee #ChowHangTung, former Vice-Chairperson of Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China (#HKASPDMC), was accused of promoting and calling on others to participate in the June 4 rally, and had earlier pleaded not guilty to the charge of inciting others to participate in an unauthorized assembly. The case was resumed in the West Kowloon Magistrates Court on Oct 25th.
Tonyee, who is herself a barrister, represented herself in court. She mentioned that all the cases brought against her are related to the Alliance and June 4th. The authorities are piling on these charges, showing that the regime is attempting to suppress and eliminate the memory of June 4th step by step.
She reiterated that after the police banned the rally this year, the Alliance had publicly announced that it would not hold a candlelight rally in Victoria Park. She has since written articles and taken interviews, in which she had simply appealed to the public to overcome their fears and continue to mourn June 4 through personal actions. She questioned how a call for action with no specified location could incite an unauthorized assembly, saying that the regime "might as well admit directly that what is forbidden is the June 4 memorial itself".
Tonyee stressed that it was not anyone's incitement that drove the people of Hong Kong to mourn June 4th for 32 years; rather, it was every person's conscience. "If the court wants to use the word 'incite', it ought to say that it was the people of Hong Kong who had incited me to do this."
And if she were to be punished for it, she would have no regrets, she said.
Source: Stand News; #Oct25
Full account of Tonyee's defense speech (in Chinese) : https://thestandnews.page.link/o3zrFQwM34J6m8ky9
#June4 #HongKong #Democracy #Protest #Court