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Int'l Business Times
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Hong Kong Court Hears Appeals By Jailed Democracy Campaigners
A Hong Kong court began hearing appeals on Monday from 12 democracy campaigners who were jailed for subversion last year during the city's largest national security trial. They were among 45 opposition figures, including some of Hong Kong's best-known democracy activists, who were sentenced in November over a 2020 informal primary election that authorities deemed a subversive plot. Critics including the United States, Britain and the European Union said the case showed how a Beijing-imposed national security law has eroded freedoms and quashed peaceful opposition in Hong Kong. Ex-lawmakers "Long Hair" Leung Kwok-hung, Lam Cheuk-ting, Helena Wong and Raymond Chan are among those contesting their convictions and sentences in hearings that are scheduled to last 10 days. Owen Chow, a 28-year-old activist who was sentenced to seven years and nine months in jail -- the harshest penalty among the dozen -- has also lodged an appeal. Former district councillor Michael Pang withdrew his appeal application on Monday morning, leaving a total of 12 appellants. Some of them have already spent more than four years behind bars. Amnesty International's China director Sarah Brooks said the appeal will be a "pivotal test" for free expression in the Chinese finance hub. "Only by overturning these convictions can Hong Kong's courts begin to restore the city's global standing as a place where rights are respected and where people are allowed to peacefully express their views without fear of arrest," Brooks said. Dozens of police officers were deployed outside the West Kowloon court building on Monday morning as people queued to attend the hearing. "They made a sacrifice... I hope they understand that Hongkongers have not forgotten them," said a public hospital worker in his thirties surnamed Chow. A 66-year-old retiree surnamed Chan said the case made him feel "helpless", adding that fewer people were paying attention as court proceedings dragged on. "I don't expect any (positive) outcome, but I still want to support them." Prosecutors began Monday's session by challenging the acquittal of lawyer Lawrence Lau, one of two people found not guilty in May 2024 from an original group of 47 accused. Lau's "overall conduct" showed that he was party to the conspiracy and he should be tried again because the lower court made the wrong factual finding, the prosecution argued. Lau, representing himself, replied that the trial court's findings should not be "casually interfered" with. "... I have never advocated for the resignation of the chief executive, I have never advocated the indiscriminate vetoing of the financial budget," Lau told the court, referring to core tenets of the alleged conspiracy. Beijing has remoulded Hong Kong in its authoritarian image after imposing a sweeping national security law in 2020 following months of huge, and sometimes violent, pro-democracy demonstrations. Authorities arrested figures from a broad cross-section of the city's opposition in morning raids in 2021, a group later dubbed the "Hong Kong 47". The group, aged between 27 and 69, included democratically elected lawmakers and district councillors, as well as unionists, academics and others with political stances ranging from modest reformists to radical localists. They were accused of organising or taking part in an unofficial primary election, which aimed to improve the chances of pro-democracy parties of winning a majority in the legislature. The activists had hoped to force the government to accede to demands such as universal suffrage by threatening to indiscriminately veto the budget. Three senior judges handpicked by the government to try security cases said the plan would have caused a "constitutional crisis".
Straits Times
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Hong Kong court to hear appeals by jailed democracy campaigners
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Appeals will be heard from 13 democracy campaigners who were jailed for subversion in 2024. A Hong Kong court will hear appeals starting on July 14 from 13 democracy campaigners who were jailed for subversion in 2024 during the city's largest national security trial. They were among 45 opposition figures, including some of Hong Kong's best-known democracy activists, who were sentenced in November 2024 over a 2020 informal primary election that authorities deemed a subversive plot. Critics including the United States, Britain and the European Union said the case showed how a Beijing-imposed national security law has eroded freedoms and quashed peaceful opposition in Hong Kong. Ex-lawmakers 'Long Hair' Leung Kwok-hung, Lam Cheuk-ting, Helena Wong and Raymond Chan are among those contesting their convictions and sentences in hearings that are scheduled to last 10 days. Owen Chow, a 28-year-old activist who was sentenced to seven years and nine months in jail – the harshest penalty among the 13 – has also lodged an appeal. Some of the appellants have already spent more than four years behind bars. Amnesty International's China director Sarah Brooks said the appeal will be a 'pivotal test' for free expression in the Chinese finance hub. 'Only by overturning these convictions can Hong Kong's courts begin to restore the city's global standing as a place where rights are respected and where people are allowed to peacefully express their views without fear of arrest,' Ms Brooks said. Morning raids Prosecutors will concurrently challenge on July 14 the lower court's acquittal of lawyer Lawrence Lau, one of two people found not guilty from an original group of 47 accused. Activist Tam Tak-chi, who pleaded guilty in the subversion case, had also indicated he would appeal against his sentence but withdrew. Beijing has remoulded Hong Kong in its authoritarian image after imposing a sweeping national security law in 2020 following months of huge, and sometimes violent, pro-democracy demonstrations. Authorities arrested figures from a broad cross-section of the city's opposition in morning raids in 2021, a group later dubbed the 'Hong Kong 47'. The group, aged between 27 and 69, included democratically elected lawmakers and district councillors, as well as unionists, academics and others with political stances ranging from modest reformists to radical localists. They were accused of organising or taking part in an unofficial primary election, which aimed to improve the chances of pro-democracy parties of winning a majority in the legislature. The activists had hoped to force the government to accede to demands such as universal suffrage by threatening to indiscriminately veto the budget. Three senior judges handpicked by the government to try security cases said the plan would have caused a 'constitutional crisis'. Beijing and Hong Kong officials have defended the national security law as being necessary to restore order following the 2019 protests. Opposition party the League of Social Democrats – co-founded by Leung – announced its disbandment in June , citing 'immense political pressure'. Eight of the jailed campaigners, including journalist and lawmaker Claudia Mo and LGBTQ activist Jimmy Sham, have been released in recent weeks after completing their sentences. AFP
AllAfrica
07-07-2025
- Politics
- AllAfrica
Hong Kong's light fades as another pro-democracy party folds
The demise of one of Hong Kong's last major pro-democracy parties, the League of Social Democrats, is the latest blow to the city's crumbling democratic credentials. The league is the third major opposition party to disband this year. The announcement coincides with the fifth anniversary this week of the national security law, which was imposed by Beijing to suppress pro-democracy activity. The loss of this grassroots party, historically populated by bold and colourful characters, vividly illustrates the dying of the light in once-sparkling Hong Kong. The city is now greyed and labouring under a repressive internal security regime that has crushed civil society's freedoms and democratic ambitions. The world witnessed Hong Kong at its brightest during the 2014 Umbrella Movement, when hundreds of thousands of pro-democracy protesters camped out on city streets for several months. We also saw the brutal sequel in 2019, when paramilitarized police sought to put down further civil unrest and protesters fought back. Since then, 'lawfare' has been the preferred strategy of China's national government and its Hong Kong satellite. The new approach has included a vast security apparatus and aggressive prosecutions. When Beijing intervened in July 2020, it was nominally about national security. In reality, the new law was designed and used to bring Hongkongers to heel. Civil freedoms were further curtailed by a home-grown security law, introduced last year to fill the gaps. International standards such as the Johannesburg Principles, endorsed by the United Nations, require national security laws to be compatible with democratic principles, not to be used to eliminate democratic activity. The League of Social Democrats occupied the populist left of the pro-democracy spectrum. It stood apart from contemporaries such as the Democratic Party and the Civic Party, which were dominated by professionals and elites and have since been disbanded. The League was most notably represented by the likes of 'Long Hair' Leung Kwok-hung– known for his Che Guevara t-shirts and banana-throwing – and broadcaster and journalism academic Raymond Wong Yuk-man, also known as 'Mad Dog'. Despite their rambunctious styles, these men had real political credentials and were repeatedly elected to legislative office. But Leung is now imprisoned for subversion, while Wong has left for Taiwan. Pro-democracy lawmaker Leung Kwok-hung, known as 'Long Hair', announces his candidacy for Chief Executive, at a news conference in Hong Kong, China February 8, 2017. Photo: Asia Times files / REUTERS / Bobby Yip Party leaders such as Jimmy Sham Tsz-kit and Figo Chan Ho-wun were also prominent within the Civil Human Rights Front. It was responsible for the annual July 1 protest march, which attracted hundreds of thousands of people every year. The front is yet another pro-democracy organization that has dissolved. Sham and Chan have been jailed for subversion and unlawful assembly under the colonial-era Public Order Ordinance, which has been used to prosecute hundreds of activists. The demise of these diverse organisations are not natural occurrences, but the result of a deliberate authoritarian program. Under China, Hong Kong's political system has been half democratic at best. But it now resembles something from the darkest days of colonialism, with pre-approved candidates, appointed legislators and zero tolerance for critical voices. The effort to eliminate opposition has seen the pro-independence National Party formally banned and scores of pro-democracy figures jailed after mass trials. Activists and watchdogs are stymied by the national security law. It criminalizes – among other things – engagement and lobbying with international organizations and foreign governments. Distinctive voices such as law professor Benny Tai Yiu-ting, media mogul Jimmy Lai Chee-ying and firebrand politician Edward Leung Tin-kei have been jailed and silenced, as have many moderates and lesser-known figures. Then there are the millions of ordinary Hongkongers whose dreams of a liberal and self-governing region under mainland China's umbrella – as promised in the lead up to the 1997 handover – have been shattered. Some activists have fled overseas. The more outspoken are the subjects of Hong Kong arrest warrants. But countless ex-protesters remain in the city, where it is impermissible to speak critically of power, and where mandatory patriotic education may ensure new generations will never even think to speak up. Much blame lies with the British, who failed to institute democratic elections until the last gasp of their rule in Hong Kong. This was despite the colony tolerating liberalism and habit-forming democratic activity over a longer period. Now China, after almost three decades in charge, has responded to democratic challenges by defaulting to authoritarian control. Hong Kong can only be grateful it has been spared a Tiananmen-style incident. Nor has it experienced the full genocidal extent of the so-called 'peripheries playbook' Beijing has used in Tibet and Xinjiang. Turmoil and authoritarian swings in the United States and elsewhere give China an opportunity to present as a voice of reason on the international stage. But we should not forget its commitment to repressive politics at home, nor what its support of belligerent regimes such as Putin's Russia might mean for Taiwan, the region and the world. Above all, we should not forget the people, in Hong Kong and elsewhere, who made it their life's work to achieve democracy only to be rewarded with prison or exile. Brendan Clift is a lecturer in law and justice at UNSW Sydney. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
The Diplomat
02-07-2025
- Politics
- The Diplomat
End of the Line: Hong Kong's Last Opposition Voice Falls Silent
As Hong Kong's last lawful pro-democracy group, the folding of the League of Social Democrats has brought an era of public dissent to a close. Hong Kong's League of Social Democrats (LSD) party announced its decision to disband on June 29, citing 'immense political pressure' from Beijing. There was no public protest, no police intervention, no courtroom drama. But the implications are serious and far-reaching. In the span of five years, the city's opposition has been steadily and deliberately dismantled. Laws have been rewritten, activists jailed, accounts frozen, and spaces for dissent shut down. As Hong Kong's last lawful pro-democracy group, the LSD was known for its protests, defense of civil liberties, and push for social equity. Its departure has brought an era of public dissent to a close. Established in 2006, the League of Social Democrats became one of the rare political groups in Hong Kong to openly challenge both the Hong Kong government and Beijing's growing presence in the city's affairs. While other groups adopted more moderate strategies, the LSD remained openly confrontational. This stance often drew political and legal consequences. Its founder Leung Kwok-hung, commonly known as Long Hair, is currently serving time under the National Security Law. Jimmy Sham, another central figure, was detained in 2021 for allegedly plotting to subvert state power. He was released in April 2025 after nearly four years in custody, although proceedings against the wider group are still underway. With repeated warnings to disband from Beijing, more members were barred from running for office or pressured to flee. Even with its ranks shrinking, the LSD maintained a visible presence. It continued to participate in protests, spoke out on political arrests, and worked to preserve space for public expression as the authorities cracked down on dissent. Since the enactment of the National Security Law in June 2020, authorities have arrested more than 330 individuals and convicted more than 160 under its provisions. The most high-profile case involved the arrest of 47 pro-democracy figures who participated in unofficial primary elections in 2020. Authorities described their effort to coordinate electoral strategy as a national security threat. Many of those arrested were elected district councilors. Several individuals have been held in custody for extended periods without trial, while others were convicted in 2024 and sentenced to prison terms ranging from three to ten years. The crackdown has extended beyond political parties. In August 2020, media tycoon Jimmy Lai was arrested at his home, and his newspaper, Apple Daily, was raided by over 200 police officers. Within a year, Apple Daily shut down, its journalists faced prosecution, and its assets were frozen by authorities. Stand News, another prominent outlet, shut down in December 2021 after a police raid led to multiple arrests. The Civic Party, alongside the LSD, was one of Hong Kong's largest traditional opposition parties. It disbanded in 2023 after facing mounting political pressure and disqualification of its members from elections. By late 2024, not a single active pro-democracy organization remained, except the LSD. Hong Kong's legislature no longer includes political opposition. Electoral reforms imposed by Beijing in 2021 introduced a vetting mechanism that ensures only 'patriots' can run for office. The number of directly elected seats was reduced to 20 out of 90, with all candidates screened by a pro-Beijing committee, leaving no space for dissent. In 2022, John Lee, a former security chief who led the crackdown on the 2019 pro-democracy protests, became Hong Kong's chief executive. He was chosen in an uncontested vote by a 1,461-member committee made up largely of Beijing loyalists, highlighting the city's new political order. Judicial independence has also narrowed in scope. Judges appointed by the chief executive preside over national security cases. Proceedings are often closed to the public, and bail is rarely granted. According to government figures, over 90 percent of defendants charged under the National Security Law have been denied bail, a sharp reversal of long-standing legal norms in the city. The institutional redesign also extends into education and the civil service. From 2021, civil servants must take loyalty oaths affirming their allegiance to the government and the Basic Law. Teachers have been dismissed for holding critical views or for allegedly failing to promote 'correct' national values. A new curriculum promotes patriotism in schools, while universities have purged books by pro-democracy scholars. Memorials commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown have been dismantled, and public commemorations are now banned. The international response has been measured. Governments including the United States and the United Kingdom have issued sanctions targeting specific officials and voiced concern over the erosion of civil liberties. However, these actions have had a limited impact on policy outcomes. The Chinese central government has framed developments in Hong Kong as matters of domestic governance, placing them largely beyond the reach of external influence. As a result, the 'One Country, Two Systems' model appears to have undergone a significant transformation in both tone and substance. Many former activists now contribute from abroad or engage in more discreet forms of civic involvement within the city. Public protests have faded, replaced by private acts of remembrance and reflection. Political dialogue continues through informal gatherings, digital spaces, and creative expression. The 2019 mass protests are no longer publicly acknowledged, and commemorating them carries legal risk. In its final statement, the LSD called on Hong Kong residents to uphold their values 'in their own ways.' That message reflects a shift in political expression, less visible but still present. While traditional activism has faded, core democratic ideals endure in private and informal spaces. The LSD's closure marks more than the end of one group; it signals a broader transformation of civic life. Open debate may have receded, but the memory of those ideals remains, carried forward by those committed to remembering.
HKFP
29-06-2025
- Politics
- HKFP
BREAKING: One of Hong Kong's last pro-democracy groups disbands citing ‘tremendous political pressure'
One of Hong Kong's last pro-democracy groups, the League of Social Democrats (LSD), announced its disbandment on Sunday after 19 years. It came on the eve of the fifth anniversary of the 2020 Beijing-imposed security law, with the left-wing group citing 'tremendous political pressure.' The pro-democracy party announced its decision in a press invite sent out on Friday. 'Next year marks the 20th anniversary of the League of Social Democrats. However, we will not survive to see that day and will announce our disbandment,' it read. Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, LSD chair Chan Po-ying said that she could not elaborate further on the reasons behind the decision. HKFP has contacted the police for comment. Founded in 2006, the LSD was known for advocating democratic reform and supporting the working class. It held seats in the Legislative Council and the District Councils before an electoral overhaul in 2021 effectively barred members of the opposition from standing. With its dissolution, the LSD joins the dozens of political parties, labour unions, and civil society groups that have disbanded since the security law was enacted. The league's disbandment makes it the third major pro-democracy party to meet its end in recent years. The Civic Party folded in March 2024, and the Democratic Party, the city's largest opposition group a history of three deacdes, announced in February that it would begin steps to disband. 'Long Hair' Leung Kwok-hung, Chan's husband and former LSD chair, remains in prison serving six years and nine months for subversion under the 2020 security legislation. He is among 14 democrats seeking appeals against their convictions and sentences. Pro-democracy activist Jimmy Sham, who represented the LSD in the city's district council before his arrest in the same landmark national security case, was released last month after serving more than four years in jail. Fernando Cheung, spokesperson of the Amnesty Hong Kong Overseas Section, said in a press release on Sunday that 'the organisation and its members have been continuously subjected to surveillance and harassment by the Hong Kong government, including repeated fines for setting up street booths; before June 4th, July 1st and other 'sensitive dates' as defined by authorities, members were summoned by the National Security Department for 'reminders' not to organise demonstrations, and were even subjected to targeted searches or arrests on those days.'
