Forwarded from 📡Guardians of Hong Kong
#Politicization #MidAutumnFestival #FailedState
Hong Kong Correctional Services Rejects Retired Cardinal's Applications to Distribute Mooncakes to Persons in Custody for "Political" Reason
Retired cardinal of the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong, Joseph Zen Ze-Kiu, have been sending mooncakes to persons in custody for Mid-Autumn Festival since 2010. He was still able to do so in the midst of the 2019 anti-ELAB movement.
However, the Hong Kong Correctional Services Department (CSD) has rejected his application in 2020 on the grounds of categorizing it as a politicised activity.
In Zen’s blog, he felt upset to be forced to discontinue this tradition of his, because he understood that this year's mid-autumn festival for the persons in custody would be less warm. They have always looked forward to the mooncakes and always asked him during visitations, “Cardinal, any mooncake this year?”
Some of them said, “At least, there are people who still remember us and are willing to care for us during this festive season.”
Pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong shared this activity on his Facebook page earlier and said he had received Zen’s mooncakes three years ago for the first time in jail. At that time, he and other inmates longed for the distribution of Zen's mooncakes.
Zen said that the activity this year was planned to be the same as every other year. He speculates that the reason behind why the the government rejected him was due to the mentioning by Joshua Wong,
Secretary-General of the now disbanded Demosisto, and pro-democracy lawmaker Bottle Shiu Ka-Chun, who is also a social worker.
Source: HKC News #Sept2
https://www.hkcnews.com/article/33523/%E9%99%B3%E6%97%A5%E5%90%9B-%E6%87%B2%E6%95%99%E7%BD%B2-%E6%9C%88%E9%A4%85-33523/%E6%9C%88%E9%A4%85h
#CSD #MoonCake #JoshuaWong #ShiuKaChun #JosephZen #CatholicDioceseHongKong #Cardinal
Hong Kong Correctional Services Rejects Retired Cardinal's Applications to Distribute Mooncakes to Persons in Custody for "Political" Reason
Retired cardinal of the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong, Joseph Zen Ze-Kiu, have been sending mooncakes to persons in custody for Mid-Autumn Festival since 2010. He was still able to do so in the midst of the 2019 anti-ELAB movement.
However, the Hong Kong Correctional Services Department (CSD) has rejected his application in 2020 on the grounds of categorizing it as a politicised activity.
In Zen’s blog, he felt upset to be forced to discontinue this tradition of his, because he understood that this year's mid-autumn festival for the persons in custody would be less warm. They have always looked forward to the mooncakes and always asked him during visitations, “Cardinal, any mooncake this year?”
Some of them said, “At least, there are people who still remember us and are willing to care for us during this festive season.”
Pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong shared this activity on his Facebook page earlier and said he had received Zen’s mooncakes three years ago for the first time in jail. At that time, he and other inmates longed for the distribution of Zen's mooncakes.
Zen said that the activity this year was planned to be the same as every other year. He speculates that the reason behind why the the government rejected him was due to the mentioning by Joshua Wong,
Secretary-General of the now disbanded Demosisto, and pro-democracy lawmaker Bottle Shiu Ka-Chun, who is also a social worker.
Source: HKC News #Sept2
https://www.hkcnews.com/article/33523/%E9%99%B3%E6%97%A5%E5%90%9B-%E6%87%B2%E6%95%99%E7%BD%B2-%E6%9C%88%E9%A4%85-33523/%E6%9C%88%E9%A4%85h
#CSD #MoonCake #JoshuaWong #ShiuKaChun #JosephZen #CatholicDioceseHongKong #Cardinal
眾新聞
懲教指帶政治色彩 陳日君月餅贈囚友9年來首被拒:最不開心令囚友失望
香港教區榮休主教陳日君樞機自2010年起,均有在中秋節時送贈月餅予在囚人士,惟今年懲教署以送月餅行動帶有政治色彩為由,拒絕接受他的申請。懲教署回應指不評論個別個案,但表示署方在批核捐贈申請時,會考慮是否牽涉利益衝突、以及會否有人借捐贈活動作政治宣傳或募捐等。
Forwarded from 📡Guardians of Hong Kong
#Court
Protester acquitted over laser pointer possesion; Court questions Police's #professionalism in handling evidence
In November 2019, university student Chow Tsz-lok fell from height at Sheung Tak car park and passed away 4 days later. Memorial activities were initiated in multiple districts, which eventually turned into violent police-civilian clashes.
A female protester was arrested near Wong Tai Sin Temple for possessing a laser pointer and a wrench. She was charged with the possession of offensive weapon. In the end, she was found not guilty and acquitted.
Magistrate Cheung Tin-ngai accused the police of being unprofessional in the handling of evidence and violating the Police General Order. She criticized the officers for storing the evidence in a personal storage for 5 months, and not taking their statement until right before the trial. It is therefore unknown whether the evidence was tempered with and whether it even belonged to the defendant.
Source: InMedia #Sept2
https://bit.ly/3jz8wmE
Protester acquitted over laser pointer possesion; Court questions Police's #professionalism in handling evidence
In November 2019, university student Chow Tsz-lok fell from height at Sheung Tak car park and passed away 4 days later. Memorial activities were initiated in multiple districts, which eventually turned into violent police-civilian clashes.
A female protester was arrested near Wong Tai Sin Temple for possessing a laser pointer and a wrench. She was charged with the possession of offensive weapon. In the end, she was found not guilty and acquitted.
Magistrate Cheung Tin-ngai accused the police of being unprofessional in the handling of evidence and violating the Police General Order. She criticized the officers for storing the evidence in a personal storage for 5 months, and not taking their statement until right before the trial. It is therefore unknown whether the evidence was tempered with and whether it even belonged to the defendant.
Source: InMedia #Sept2
https://bit.ly/3jz8wmE
Forwarded from 📡Guardians of Hong Kong
#PrisonerRights
Solitary Confinement in HK Prison: 10 Days for Hugging, 7 Days for Sharing Books; Maximum Above UN Rule
"You stay in bed all day. For seven days straight. You can only go to the toilet, and it's right next to the bed."
Stand News interviewed four former prisoners who had faced solitary confinement in Hong Kong's prisons. In their experience, this punishment was handed out often, and the experience is long and painful. As sleeping pills are not permitted in prisons, they could only take painkillers to help themselves sleep.
In July, news broke that pro-democracy district councilor #TiffanyYuen had endured 10 days of solitary confinement as punishment for hugging a fellow prisoner. Lawyer and chairperson of Hong Kong Alliance #ChowHangTung, who was also in prison at the time, also faced the same punishment for 3 days for sharing postage stamps with other inmates. Others had been penalized for 7 days for exchanging books and photographs, or 3 days for sharing chocolate.
What is the metric for such punishments? According to Correctional Services' response to Stand News: "Any prisoner who commit offenses against prison discipline as described under clause 61 of the Prison Rules [1] will be prosecuted by the Services according to the rules. If a disciplinary hearing determines that the prisoner have violated the rules, then the Services will impose punishments according to clause 63 of the Prison Rules. If the prisoner disagrees with the ruling, they may appeal it according to established procedures."
The prison rules of Hong Kong sets an upper limit for solitary confinement at 28 days. However, according to the United Nations' "Nelson Mandela Rules" - adopted in 2015 and named in honor of the former president of South Africa and activist for human rights, equality, democracy, and peace - prisons should prohibit solitary confinement longer than 15 days.
Furthermore, the UN Committee Against Torture had published a report in 2016, in which the committee expressed concern with the maximum length of solitary confinement in Hong Kong prisons. It also called to attention the rule of "removal from association" - forbidding prisoners from associating with others on vague grounds such as "for the maintenance of good order or discipline or in the interests of a prisoner".
Though the report made several recommendations to Hong Kong for clarifying the rules and bringing the limits of punishments to be closer to the Nelson Mandela Rules, prisoners released this year still reports that solitary confinement remains a common punishment. According to data from Correctional Services, there were 3181 instances of solitary confinement handed out among 14689 prisoners in 2019. This number had been above 3000 every year since 2016.
The Correctional Services did not comment when asked if it had implemented the UN committee's suggestions, and if it would reduce or abolish solitary confinement as a punishment.
[1] Cap. 234A Prison Rules: https://www.elegislation.gov.hk/hk/cap234A!en-zh-Hant-HK?xpid=ID_1438402870147_001&INDEX_CS=N
#HumanRights #PoliceState
Source: Stand News; #Sept2
https://www.thestandnews.com/society/%E5%9B%9A%E6%AC%8A%E6%B0%B4%E9%A3%AF%E6%88%BF%E7%9B%B8%E6%93%81%E5%9B%9A%E4%B8%83%E6%97%A5-%E6%8F%9B%E6%9B%B8%E5%9B%B0%E5%8D%81%E5%A4%A9-%E7%8D%A8%E5%9B%9A%E6%9C%80%E9%95%B728%E6%97%A5-%E8%B6%85%E5%87%BA%E8%81%AF%E5%90%88%E5%9C%8B%E8%A6%8F%E5%89%87
Solitary Confinement in HK Prison: 10 Days for Hugging, 7 Days for Sharing Books; Maximum Above UN Rule
"You stay in bed all day. For seven days straight. You can only go to the toilet, and it's right next to the bed."
Stand News interviewed four former prisoners who had faced solitary confinement in Hong Kong's prisons. In their experience, this punishment was handed out often, and the experience is long and painful. As sleeping pills are not permitted in prisons, they could only take painkillers to help themselves sleep.
In July, news broke that pro-democracy district councilor #TiffanyYuen had endured 10 days of solitary confinement as punishment for hugging a fellow prisoner. Lawyer and chairperson of Hong Kong Alliance #ChowHangTung, who was also in prison at the time, also faced the same punishment for 3 days for sharing postage stamps with other inmates. Others had been penalized for 7 days for exchanging books and photographs, or 3 days for sharing chocolate.
What is the metric for such punishments? According to Correctional Services' response to Stand News: "Any prisoner who commit offenses against prison discipline as described under clause 61 of the Prison Rules [1] will be prosecuted by the Services according to the rules. If a disciplinary hearing determines that the prisoner have violated the rules, then the Services will impose punishments according to clause 63 of the Prison Rules. If the prisoner disagrees with the ruling, they may appeal it according to established procedures."
The prison rules of Hong Kong sets an upper limit for solitary confinement at 28 days. However, according to the United Nations' "Nelson Mandela Rules" - adopted in 2015 and named in honor of the former president of South Africa and activist for human rights, equality, democracy, and peace - prisons should prohibit solitary confinement longer than 15 days.
Furthermore, the UN Committee Against Torture had published a report in 2016, in which the committee expressed concern with the maximum length of solitary confinement in Hong Kong prisons. It also called to attention the rule of "removal from association" - forbidding prisoners from associating with others on vague grounds such as "for the maintenance of good order or discipline or in the interests of a prisoner".
Though the report made several recommendations to Hong Kong for clarifying the rules and bringing the limits of punishments to be closer to the Nelson Mandela Rules, prisoners released this year still reports that solitary confinement remains a common punishment. According to data from Correctional Services, there were 3181 instances of solitary confinement handed out among 14689 prisoners in 2019. This number had been above 3000 every year since 2016.
The Correctional Services did not comment when asked if it had implemented the UN committee's suggestions, and if it would reduce or abolish solitary confinement as a punishment.
[1] Cap. 234A Prison Rules: https://www.elegislation.gov.hk/hk/cap234A!en-zh-Hant-HK?xpid=ID_1438402870147_001&INDEX_CS=N
#HumanRights #PoliceState
Source: Stand News; #Sept2
https://www.thestandnews.com/society/%E5%9B%9A%E6%AC%8A%E6%B0%B4%E9%A3%AF%E6%88%BF%E7%9B%B8%E6%93%81%E5%9B%9A%E4%B8%83%E6%97%A5-%E6%8F%9B%E6%9B%B8%E5%9B%B0%E5%8D%81%E5%A4%A9-%E7%8D%A8%E5%9B%9A%E6%9C%80%E9%95%B728%E6%97%A5-%E8%B6%85%E5%87%BA%E8%81%AF%E5%90%88%E5%9C%8B%E8%A6%8F%E5%89%87