#AsiasFinest #Court
Hong Kong Police's case charge found in disarray again

Numerous mistakes, as obvious as the defendant’s professions, have been found in Hong Kong Police’s case charge presented to the court on March 1, 2021 against the 47 pro-democracy activists.

For instance, the profession of Sze Tak Loy, District Councilor of Wong Tai Shin district was marked “unemployed”; while former legislator Eddie Chu Hoi-dick was mistakenly marked as "Wong Tai Shin District Councilor".

What’s more, Sai Kung District Councilor, Gary Fan Kwok-wai’s occupation was marked “Social Worker” while renowned social worker, Hendick Lui Chi Hang was marked "Sai Kung District Councilor" for his profession.

On March 1, 2021, 47 pro-democracy activists and politicians, who were charged with inciting subversion under the National Security Law was mentioned at the West Kowloon Magistrate Court.

Source: InMedia #Mar1
https://bit.ly/3kFl6CU

=====
On the same day:

Determined and Unafraid: Pro-democracy Hongkongers in Solidarity Rally Outside of the Court
https://publielectoral.lat/guardiansofhongkong/28844

Hong Kong Police Bar Arrested Pro-democracy Activist From Meeting Their Lawyers Before Court Hearing
https://publielectoral.lat/guardiansofhongkong/28847

#47Democrats #PoliticalPersecution #FailedState

#PoliticalOppression #Court
4 Pro-democracy activists sent to hospital after 14-hour court mentioning in Hong Kong

On Feb 28, 2021 in Hong Kong, 47 pro-democracy activists, including former Legislative Councilors and current district councilors, were arrested for committing "subversion" under the #NationalSecurityLaw.

They were mentioned in court on Mar 1. At 02:32 on Mar 2, Clarisse Yeung Suet-ying collapsed after 14 hours of court mentioning. Her lawer stated that Yeung was conscious, yet was unable to open her eyes nor stand up.

Apart from Yeung, "Long Hair" Leung Kwok-hung, Mike Lam King-nam and Roy Tam Hoi-pong felt unwell and were sent to hospital.

After long hours of ongoing mentioning, the arrestees were sent back to detention centre at around 5am on the morning of Mar 2. The court will continue at 11am, leaving them without enough rests.

Sources: Apple Daily #Mar2
https://bit.ly/2PqHS5R

#HumanitarianCrisis #47Democrats

#FirstHand #Mar5 #Court
"Hang In There": Citizens Line the Streets in Support as 47 Activists are Taken Back to Custody

0007 | Lau Chi Kok Reception Center

Police had cordoned off the parking area by the Magistrates’ Courts, only allowing journalists to enter.

After midnight on 5 March, the crowd of citizens waiting in support for the 47 arrested activists thus went to the Lau Chi Kok Reception Center to see them off.

They lined the sidewalk, waving cell phone lights and shouting words of encouragement as their vehicle passed by: "Hongkongers, add oil!" "Hang in there!"

#FirstHand #Mar5 #PoliticalPrisoners #YNWA #47Democrats

#Court #47Democrats #PoliticalSuppression
A Journalist's Account of Witnessing the Trial of 47 Pro-democracy Activists in Hong Kong's Court

Part 1

[Editor's note: The Hong Kong authorities arrested and charged 47 pro-democracy with #NationalSecurityLaw violations for their participation in the primary election of the democratic camp in 2020. The trial began in the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts on March 1, 2021.

The following is a reflective account written by Hong Kong journalist Cheung Hoi-kit.]

In the court room, the 47 pro-democracy activists took half of the seats, crowding the area behind the defendant fence and the seats outside. It is like the entire dissidents camp has been arrested at once. Regardless of their ages, ranks and the political party, they became a community, facing their fate together.

With the large number of defendants and their lawyers, the main court did not have seats for the families, reporters and the public. Families could not stay close to the defendants, not even to have any eye contact, as they had to watch the hearing through the live broadcast.

The main court accomodated neither family members nor reporters. Even more so, no bail statement discussion was allowed. The marathon-style trial was like an epic, where countless tales were recounted.

The court debated on a wide range of media reports of the 47 pro-democracy activists. Although the chief magistrate Victor So said that those stories were touching, he claimed that those reports did not point to any public benefit.

Linda Wong, a senior counsel representing the defendants, argued that those stories were not a paragraph in a fiction, but the experience and the true background of a person. The defendants were not mere numbers.

The cold legal provisions and heart warming personal stories continued to compete in the court room.

Source: HK Citizens News #Mar14
Image: Sophiekiu.artsy
https://publielectoral.lat/guardiansofhongkong/29387

https://www.hkcnews.com/article/39218/47%E4%BA%BA%E5%88%9D%E9%81%B8%E6%A1%88-%E6%B0%91%E4%B8%BB%E6%B4%BE%E5%88%9D%E9%81%B8-%E5%88%9D%E9%81%B8%E5%A4%A7%E8%B5%B7%E8%A8%B4-39218/%E3%80%90%E6%8E%A1%E8%A8%AA%E6%89%8B%E8%A8%98%E3%80%9147%E4%BA%BA%E6%A1%88%E5%9B%9B%E6%97%A5%E5%9B%9B%E5%A4%9C%E3%80%8C%E5%8F%B2%E8%A9%A9%E5%BC%8F%E6%8F%90%E5%A0%82%E3%80%8D%E7%9A%84%E4%B8%80%E4%BA%9B%E5%82%99%E5%BF%98

#Reflection #PoliticalPrisoners

#PrisonVisit: #EddieChu Studying Vietnamese from Fellow Inmate, Says Wife

In Hong Kong, former pro-democracy legislator Eddie Chu remains in detention in Stanley Prison after being arrested in the 47 Democrats case.

His wife Au Pui-fun and daughter visited him at the prison last week; Au sported a red scarf to fend off the cold morning, and waited in line to register for their visit.

Chu had been studying Vietnamese, his wife relayed, and had been learning it from free apps since a month before his arrest. "He had been working very hard at it. The learning app has 5 levels, and he's ranked the 2nd fastest learner worldwide on it!"

After being sent to Stanley Prison, Chu had befriended a Vietnamese prisoner who taught him Vietnamese; in return, Chu taught the man Cantonese.

As mandatory work for prisoners, Chu was assigned to manufacture file folders. "He said he was so slow at the beginning; others made 50 folders in the time he made 5," his wife recalled with a chuckle. "I don't know about now; I haven't asked in a while."

During his detention, Chu noticed he woke up with discomfort under his left eye. Fortunately, examinations showed that it was only a natural degradation of his eye, and was not serious; he could manage it with regular eye drops. When asked, Chu said with a frown, "Of course, I looked at my phone too much when laying down. But it should be better now!" He said.

#PoliticalPrisoner #47Democrats #NeverGiveUp

Source: InMedia #Apr5
https://bit.ly/31NxtE8

#Court #PoliticalPrisoner
#JoshuaWong: Don't Let the World Change Us

In almost 2 years since the Anti-ELAB movement broke out in 2019, Hong Kong's representative figures of the pro-democracy "resistance" camp are either in jail or in exile.

Among them, former lawmaker #EddieChu, former journalist #GywnethHo, district councillors #LesterShum and #TiffanyYuen have been detained and denied bail since late February 2021. They are among the 47 pro-democracy activists arrested for joining the primary election in 2020.

Former chair of #Demisisto #NathanLaw and former spokesman for the Hong Kong Higher Institutions International Affairs Delegation (#HKIAD) #SunnyCheung have to sever ties with their family in Hong Kong and live in exile.

On March 30, 2021, district councillor #JannelleLeung and activist Joshua Wong, alongside Shum and Yuen, were trialed for taking part in an "unauthorised assembly" on #June4 in Victoria Park in 2020.

They were among 24 pro-democracy figures who were charged for participating in the annual candlelight vigil to commemorate the victims of the 1989 #TiananmenSquareMassacre in Beijing. The vigil was for the first time banned by the Hong Kong police in 2020. It is still uncertain that whether the annual rally could be held in 2021.

The four pro-democracy activists admitted to joining the rally and were remanded in custody. In the courtroom, Joshua Wong yelled, "Even if we cannot change the world, don't let the world change us."

The 24-year-old Wong is currently serving his sentence for surrounding the police headquarters during the #AntiELAB protest, while being additionally charged with other offences connecting to the primary election and June 4th #vigil.

Source: Stand News #Mar30
https://bit.ly/333JeXD

#PoliticalSuppression #PoliceState #47Democrats

#Court #PoliticalProsecution
HK Court Denies Bail for 36 in #47Activists Case, Assigned Judge: "Five Demands" Endander NationalSecurity

Among the 47 pro-democracy activists facing allegations of “conspiracy to commit subversion” in connection with a legislative primary election in Hong Kong in 2020, 36 of them have been denied bail.

'#LongHair' Leung Kwok-hung and Jimmy Sham Tsz-kit, who are the vice-chairmen of the League of Social Democrats, were among the 36 who were denied bail.

Both of them applied for bail at Hong Kong's High Court earlier, but Judge Esther Toh Lye-ping , the designated judge of the National Security Law, refused to grant them bail and ordered to hold them back in custody.

The senior counsel Hectar Pun representing Leung and Sham pointed out that they have never advocated "Hong Kong independence", colluded with foreign forces or requested sanctions against the Chinese and Hong Kong governments, nor did they sign the "No Regrets" online statement.

Pun also said that Leung's local ties are strong, he has recently gotten married and is suffering from coronary heart disease, so the risk of absconding is low.

Moreover, Sham has always been active in the local #LGBT community, he married his partner who is also a Hong Kong resident in 2013, so Sham has no interest in leaving Hong Kong.

The judge issued her reasons on May 13, 2021, claiming there was no good reason to believe the two would not continue to act against national security.

The judge cited that the Department of Justice's arguments against bail, saying that Sham still stated he would continue to fight for the "#FiveDemands", in front of the police station upon his arrival on Feb 28, 2021. This indicated that there was no reason to believe he would not continue to endanger national security.

Source: InMedia #May13
https://bit.ly/3bqpwdh

#47Democrats #JimmySham #LeungKwokHung #Bail #PoliceState

#47Democrats #PrimaryElection #SubvertionofStatePower

#LawrenceLauWaiChung said, "Not guilty, sir," elegant as usual.

#LamCheukTing almost roared, "I don't plead guilty!"

#LeungKwokHung (a.k.a. #LongHair) said, "[I'm] Innocent. Plead not guilty."

#WinnieYuWaiMing raised her right hand and stated, "Not guilty."

The magistrate, Peter Law Tak Chuen, referred the 17 defendants to the High Court for trial.

The other 29 of them chose to plead guilty. Among them, #TiffanyYuenKaWai, #FrankieFungTatChuen, #CarolNgManYee, #GaryFanKwokWai and #HendickLuiChiHang, refused to agree all facts of the cases.

Everyone has a different way of pleading guilty:

#TiffanyYuen whispered, "Plead ah! (認呀！)."

#FergusLeungFongWai said with a tone of no choice, "Plead guilty lo! (認囉！)."

#FrankieFung said in Cantonese, "I plead guilty," then repeated in Mandarin, "I plead guilty, I know I was wrong,” causing the auditorium to laugh and #KwokKaKi thumbs up with a smile.

#LauChakFung just left his seat for the washroom, and somebody said, "he will plead guilty even in the toilet."

#JoshuaWong slowly spoke out, "Plead~ guilty~."

#LiKaTat shouted, "PG!"

#TamTakChi (a.k.a. #FastBeat) confidently said while brushing his hair, "I am 'handsome'" [Handsome has a similar sound as "plead" in Cantonese]

#WuChiWai followed, "Plead ah! (認呀！)," looking at #TamTakChi, and they both laughed.

#SamCheungHoSum declared, "I plead, I plead, I plead (認啊認啊認啊)" in one go.

#VentusLauWingHong said, "For the love of my country, I plead guilty," raising uproar among defendants.

Law, the magistrate, asked whether the 26 defendants agreed with the case.

#AuNokHin stood up at that moment and expressed heavily, "I confirmed the case, and I would like to apologise to all defendants because I could not ensure the election was legal." He then slightly bowed to the defendants.

#AndrewChiuKaYin also apologized, but expressionless, "I confirm the overall case, and I apologise to everyone who helped in the pre-election." Some defendants jeered, "What are you saying (講呢啲)?"

#TamTakChi (a.k.a #FastBeat) shouted as usual, "I agree with the plot!", followed by a severe facial expression, "I agree, I agree (同意啊、同意啊)," which brought laughter to the courtroom. He then turned around, spoke to #ClaudiaMo, "Yes, excellent!" and raised his arms to the air with thumbs up.

#LeslieShumOFai interrupted, "I am not a comedy actor."

The magistrates confirmed whether Tam agreed with the entire case. He answered, "Yes, then I agree with the full case." Law raises the question once more, "You agree?" "The plot? Yes." Tam replied

It is understood that there will be no jury at the trial. This case will be handled by three designed judges, as in the case of #TongYingKit. It reminds us of #OwenChowKaShing, who did not plead guilty and yelled at the court after the restriction on reporting was lifted, "Trial without a jury is unjust."

This was probably the most potent conclusion in West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts for a year and a half.

Source: InMedia #Aug18

https://www.inmediahk.net/node/%E7%A4%BE%E9%81%8B/%E3%80%90%E5%88%9D%E9%81%B847%E4%BA%BA%E6%A1%88%E3%80%91%E8%A8%98%E4%B8%80%E6%AC%A1%E9%95%B7%E5%9B%9B%E5%A4%A9%E7%9A%84%E7%AD%94%E8%BE%AF-%E6%9C%89%E4%BA%BA%E8%AA%AA%E7%AC%91%E3%80%81%E6%9C%89%E4%BA%BA%E8%87%B4%E6%AD%89?utm_source=dable