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CNA
18-07-2025
- Politics
- CNA
Hong Kong activists' appeal ends, judgment due in nine months
HONG KONG: A hearing for 12 pro-democracy activists appealing their conviction and sentencing for subversion in Chinese-ruled Hong Kong ended on Thursday (Jul 17) with a judgment due within nine months. The case stems from the "47 democrats", dubbed by Hong Kong media for the number of activists arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit subversion in 2021. Forty-five of the defendants were jailed last year for holding an unofficial primary election in 2020, soon after Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law in response to pro-democracy protests. Eleven are appealing their conviction and sentences, while one who pleaded guilty is challenging her sentence. Government prosecutor Andy Lo told the hearing on Thursday that the case involved "an unprecedented conspiracy", while defence lawyers said on Wednesday their clients had been denied a fair trial. Judge Jeremy Poon said a decision would be made within nine months. After that, it would still be possible to seek an appeal to Hong Kong's highest court. The 45 received prison terms of between four and 10 years after prosecutors said they sought to paralyse government and force the city's leader to resign by securing a legislative majority to indiscriminately veto budget proposals. "INTERVENTIONIST" TRIAL During this week's appeal hearing, defence lawyers argued on Wednesday that the three judges who presided over the original trial had frequently interrupted defendants during cross-examination. "The trial court was interventionist from very early on," said Robert Pang, a lawyer for unionist Winnie Yu. He said the court repeatedly disallowed questions on grounds of irrelevance. Lawyer Steven Kwan said his client, activist Owen Chow, did not receive a fair trial as "his evidence was disbelieved very early on" and judges posed 45 per cent of all the questions to him. But prosecutor Derek Lau said judges had that right, noting it was not a jury trial. "There is no unfairness that can be observed that is to the prejudice of the defender in these questions," he said. Lawyer Trevor Beel, representing activist Gwyneth Ho, said on Wednesday that legislators had a duty to use whatever legitimate means to negotiate with the government and that Hong Kong's mini-constitution or Basic Law allows for a budget not to be passed. Under Article 52 of the Basic Law, the chief executive must step down if the legislature twice rejects the government's budget. Hong Kong was handed back to China by Britain in 1997 with a promise of freedom and autonomy under the "one country, two systems" framework and an eventual democratic vote for the chief executive and the legislature. If Ho wanted to achieve dual universal suffrage and an effective legislature, then it "was not radical, and this is not against the principle of one country, two systems," Beel said.
CNA
17-07-2025
- Politics
- CNA
Hong Kong activists' appeal ends, judgement due in nine months
HONG KONG: A hearing for 12 pro-democracy activists appealing their conviction and sentencing for subversion in Chinese-ruled Hong Kong ended on Thursday (Jul 17) with a judgement due within nine months. The case stems from the "47 democrats", dubbed by Hong Kong media for the number of activists arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit subversion in 2021. Forty-five of the defendants were jailed last year for holding an unofficial primary election in 2020, soon after Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law in response to pro-democracy protests. Eleven are appealing their conviction and sentences, while one who pleaded guilty is challenging her sentence. Government prosecutor Andy Lo told the hearing on Thursday that the case involved "an unprecedented conspiracy", while defence lawyers said on Wednesday their clients had been denied a fair trial. Judge Jeremy Poon said a decision would be made within nine months. After that, it would still be possible to seek an appeal to Hong Kong's highest court. The 45 received prison terms of between four and 10 years after prosecutors said they sought to paralyse government and force the city's leader to resign by securing a legislative majority to indiscriminately veto budget proposals. "INTERVENTIONIST" TRIAL During this week's appeal hearing, defence lawyers argued on Wednesday that the three judges who presided over the original trial had frequently interrupted defendants during cross-examination. "The trial court was interventionist from very early on," said Robert Pang, a lawyer for unionist Winnie Yu. He said the court repeatedly disallowed questions on grounds of irrelevance. Lawyer Steven Kwan said his client, activist Owen Chow, did not receive a fair trial as "his evidence was disbelieved very early on" and judges posed 45 per cent of all the questions to him. But prosecutor Derek Lau said judges had that right, noting it was not a jury trial. "There is no unfairness that can be observed that is to the prejudice of the defender in these questions," he said. Lawyer Trevor Beel, representing activist Gwyneth Ho, said on Wednesday that legislators had a duty to use whatever legitimate means to negotiate with the government and that Hong Kong's mini-constitution or Basic Law allows for a budget not to be passed. Under Article 52 of the Basic Law, the chief executive must step down if the legislature twice rejects the government's budget. Hong Kong was handed back to China by Britain in 1997 with a promise of freedom and autonomy under the "one country, two systems" framework and an eventual democratic vote for the chief executive and the legislature. If Ho wanted to achieve dual universal suffrage and an effective legislature, then it "was not radical, and this is not against the principle of one country, two systems," Beel said.
Reuters
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Hong Kong activists' appeal ends, judgement due in nine months
HONG KONG, July 17 (Reuters) - A hearing for 12 pro-democracy activists appealing their conviction and sentencing for subversion in Chinese-ruled Hong Kong ended on Thursday with a judgement due within nine months. The case stems from the "47 democrats", dubbed by Hong Kong media for the number of activists arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit subversion in 2021. Forty-five of the defendants were jailed last year for holding an unofficial primary election in 2020, soon after Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law in response to pro-democracy protests. Eleven are appealing their conviction and sentences, while one who pleaded guilty is challenging her sentence. Government prosecutor Andy Lo told the hearing on Thursday that the case involved "an unprecedented conspiracy", while defence lawyers said on Wednesday their clients had been denied a fair trial. Judge Jeremy Poon said a decision would be made within nine months. After that, it would still be possible to seek an appeal to Hong Kong's highest court. The 45 received prison terms of between four and 10 years after prosecutors said they sought to paralyse government and force the city's leader to resign by securing a legislative majority to indiscriminately veto budget proposals. During this week's appeal hearing, defence lawyers argued on Wednesday that the three judges who presided over the original trial had frequently interrupted defendants during cross-examination. "The trial court was interventionist from very early on," said Robert Pang, a lawyer for unionist Winnie Yu. He said the court repeatedly disallowed questions on grounds of irrelevance. Lawyer Steven Kwan said his client, activist Owen Chow, did not receive a fair trial as "his evidence was disbelieved very early on" and judges posed 45% of all the questions to him. But prosecutor Derek Lau said judges had that right, noting it was not a jury trial. "There is no unfairness that can be observed that is to the prejudice of the defender in these questions," he said. Lawyer Trevor Beel, representing activist Gwyneth Ho, said on Wednesday that legislators had a duty to use whatever legitimate means to negotiate with the government and that Hong Kong's mini-constitution or Basic Law allows for a budget not to be passed. Under Article 52 of the Basic Law, the chief executive must step down if the legislature twice rejects the government's budget. Hong Kong was handed back to China by Britain in 1997 with a promise of freedom and autonomy under the "one country, two systems" framework and an eventual democratic vote for the chief executive and the legislature. If Ho wanted to achieve dual universal suffrage and an effective legislature, then it "was not radical, and this is not against the principle of one country, two systems," Beel said.
Straits Times
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Appeal for 12 Hong Kong activists concludes amid unfair trial claims
Police officers stand guard at the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts building, ahead of hearing appeals from 12 jailed pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong, China, July 14, 2025. HONG KONG - An appeal hearing for 12 pro-democracy activists convicted of subversion under Hong Kong's national security law ended earlier than expected on July 17, with two defence lawyers arguing that their clients had not received a fair trial. The appeal stems from the "47 democrats" case, named for the number of activists who were arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit subversion in 2021. Forty five of the defendants were jailed last year for holding an unofficial primary election in July 2020, soon after Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law in response to pro-democracy protests the year before. Their sentences ranged between four to 10 years. Two were acquitted, while 12 appealed the conviction on July 14. Judge Jeremy Poon said on July 17 that the judgment would be made within nine months given the case's complexity. After that, it would still be possible to seek an appeal to Hong Kong's highest court. Government prosecutor Andy Lo said on July 17 that the case involved "an unprecedented conspiracy". Erik Shum, representing former lawmakers Helena Wong and Lam Cheuk-ting, said "the court sentencing process was wrong in principle, and hence the ultimate sentence was incorrect and it should be toned down". Wong was sentenced to 6 years and 6 months while Lam was sentenced to 6 years and nine months. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Fatal abuse of Myanmar maid in Bishan: Traffic Police officer sentenced to 10 years' jail Singapore Man charged over manufacturing DIY Kpods at Yishun home; first such case in Singapore Singapore HSA launches anti-vaping checks near 5 institutes of higher learning Singapore $7,000 fine for eatery chain involved in ByteDance food poisoning case Singapore Bicycle wheel-inspired care model used to improve trauma outcomes in central S'pore Life 11 new entries on Singapore's Bib Gourmand list, including three re-entries at Old Airport Road Singapore NEA monitoring E. coli at Sentosa beaches after elevated bacteria levels delay World Aquatics events Singapore 15 under police probe for sharing Singpass credentials used in scams During the four-day hearing, two defence lawyers argued on July 16 that the three judges who presided over the earlier trial had frequently interrupted some defendants during cross-examination. "The trial court was interventionist from very early on," said Robert Pang, a lawyer for unionist Winnie Yu. He said that the court repeatedly disallowed questions on grounds of irrelevance. Lawyer Steven Kwan said his client, activist Owen Chow did not receive a fair trial as "his evidence was disbelieved very early on". He also said the judges posed 45 per cent of all the questions put to Chow, who was later sentenced to 7 years and 9 months. Prosecutor Derek Lau said judges had the right to ask questions, noting it was not a jury trial. "There is no unfairness that can be observed, that is to the prejudice of the defender in these questions," Mr Lau said. Prosecutors had said the defendants sought to paralyse the government and force the city's leader to resign by securing a legislative majority to indiscriminately veto budget proposals. Under Article 52 of Hong Kong's mini-constitution, the Basic Law, the chief executive must step down if the legislature twice rejects the government's budget. Lawyer Trevor Beel, representing activist Gwyneth Ho, said on July 16 that legislators had a duty to use whatever legitimate means to negotiate with the government and that the Basic Law allows for a budget not to be passed. Hong Kong was handed back to China by Britain in 1997 with a promise of freedom and autonomy under the "one country, two systems" framework, and eventual universal suffrage under the Basic Law. If Ms Ho wanted to achieve dual universal suffrage and an effective legislature, then it "was not radical, and this is not against the principle of one country, two systems," Beel said. REUTERS
HKFP
14-07-2025
- Politics
- HKFP
Hong Kong court to hear appeals from 13 jailed democrats and gov't in landmark nat. security case
A Hong Kong court is set to hear appeals from the defence and prosecution in the city's largest national security case, which involved tens of high-profile pro-democracy figures. Monday marks the beginning of the appeal proceedings for the case, in which 45 democrats were convicted last year for conspiring to commit subversion over their participation in an unofficial 2020 primary election. The group – including Hong Kong's most prominent pro-democracy activists, who represented a cross-section of the city's opposition camp – were charged under the Beijing-imposed national security law. Only two out of the 47 were acquitted. Three Court of Appeal judges – Jeremy Poon, Anthea Pang, and Derek Pang – will preside over the appeal proceedings, which are scheduled to last for 10 working days. They will hear appeals against convictions and sentences faced by 12 defendants, including ex-lawmaker 'Long Hair' Leung Kwok-hung and journalist-turned-activist Gwyneth Ho. The dozen were found guilty after trial and, last November, were sentenced to prison terms ranging from six-and-a-half years up to seven years and nine months. Wong Ji-yuet, who pleaded guilty and was sentenced to four years and five months behind bars, will seek to appeal her sentence. The court will also hear an appeal from the government against the acquittal of ex-district councillor Lawrence Lau. One of the defendants, 'Fast Beat' Tam Tak-chi, dropped his appeal against his sentence last week. He was sentenced to four years and five months after pleading guilty during the trial. Proceedings to be held in West Kowloon The judiciary announced last week that the appeal proceedings will take place in the city's largest courtroom, located in the West Kowloon Law Courts Building, instead of the High Court, where Court of Appeal proceedings are normally held. Forty-seven seats will be reserved for the public gallery of the main courtroom on Monday, with extra seats arranged in extension courtrooms where live broadcasts of the proceedings will be relayed, the judiciary said. As of 7.45am on Monday, a queue of around 40 people had formed outside West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts. Dozens of police officers and police dogs were on patrol in the area, with a police cordon set up to regulate the queue, where members of the public were lining up for tickets into the public gallery of the courtroom. Vera, in her 70s, secured the first spot in the queue after arriving at the courthouse in Sham Shui Po at 4pm on Sunday. She told HKFP that she had been following the case since it began in 2021 and decided to arrive early because she was worried that there would be 'paid queuers.' But the line remained short overnight until around 6am on Monday, she said. 'I hope I can come every day, but after lining up overnight, I'm a little worried that my body won't allow it,' she said. Police conducted searches on some people who were in line for tickets to the public hearing. Their belongings, including books, were inspected by officers, while their IDs were also checked. Vehicles entering the courthouse were stopped by the police for inspection before they were allowed into the building. Drivers were asked to step out of their cars and open the trunks, while a police dog and officers checked the vehicles. Former district councillor Lee Yue-shun, one of the defendants in the case whose acquittal was not challenged by the Department of Justice, arrived at the courthouse at around 8.30am for a ticket to the public gallery. 47 democrats The 47 democrats were arrested and charged in 2021 over their roles in the unofficial primary election, which aimed to shortlist candidates in order to win an opposition majority in the city's legislature. The group planned to veto the government's budget once elected, ultimately forcing the resignation of the chief executive and a government shutdown. Three judges presiding over the trial ruled last year that the democrats had abused their constitutional powers and would have caused a 'constitutional crisis' if their scheme came to fruition. Ex-law professor Benny Tai, who the judges described as the 'mastermind' of the scheme, received the heaviest sentence and was jailed for a decade. Eight of the group have already completed their jail sentences, while 37 remain in prison. Beijing inserted national security legislation directly into Hong Kong's mini-constitution in June 2020 following a year of pro-democracy protests and unrest. It criminalised subversion, secession, collusion with foreign forces and terrorist acts – broadly defined to include disruption to transport and other infrastructure. The move gave police sweeping new powers and led to hundreds of arrests amid new legal precedents, while dozens of civil society groups disappeared. The authorities say it restored stability and peace to the city, rejecting criticism from trade partners, the UN and NGOs.
