HONG KONG – A Chinese court has sentenced 10 activists in Hong Kong who were caught fleeing the city by speedboat in a case that attracted international attention and strengthened the city’s opposition.
The activists sentenced were among a group known as the ‘Hong Kong 12’. The issues have become the focus of a pro-democracy movement hampered by pandemic restrictions that have kept protesters off the streets, and a new law introduced by Beijing that allows authorities to prosecute people who do so. accused of threatening national security.
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“They did not have proper legal representation, were detained for months in secret and the verdict was handed down after a secret trial.”
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Families and pro-democracy activists have criticized the detention of the 12 on the mainland since the Chinese Coast Guard intercepted a speedboat that was heading to Taiwan in late August. Families and attorneys who have appointed them to represent the activists may not contact them. The accused were appointed as lawyers from the mainland, and their trial was held behind closed doors this week.
“They did not have proper legal representation, were held in secret for months and the verdict was handed down after a secret trial,” said Eddie Chu, a pro-democracy politician who coordinated with the families of the 12. . “The whole legal process is a joke, but with serious consequences – we do not even know how to appeal the sentence.”
The US called for the activists to be released earlier this week. Foreign diplomats attempted to attend the trial but were not allowed.
Two of the ten activists sentenced – Tang Kai-yin (31) and Quinn Moon (33) – were convicted of arranging the escape attempt and were given three years and two years respectively, the court said. Mr. Tang was also fined 20,000 yuan, which is equivalent to about $ 3,000, and Ms. Moon was fined 15,000 yuan.
China has passed a national security law for Hong Kong aimed at suppressing protests against the government after a year of unrest. Josh Chin of WSJ explains why some countries have criticized the law and why critics believe it could threaten the city’s status as a global financial hub. Photo: May James / Zuma Press
The other eight were sentenced to seven months and fined 10,000 yuan, the court said, adding that they all pleaded guilty in the trial that took place in Yantian District Court in Shenzhen.
The remaining two, who were minors at the time of their arrest in August, were handed over to a Hong Kong police station on Wednesday. According to the Hong Kong prosecutor’s office and the police, Chinese prosecutors decided to drop their cases because they were minors after pleading guilty in another closed trial.
Police said the teenagers, who are now 18 and 17 years old respectively, will continue to face charges in Hong Kong. The two are charged with arson for their alleged involvement in protests last year. In September 2019, the older teenager was arrested along with four others during an operation where police found explosive materials in an apartment, while the younger one is accused of throwing Molotov cocktails at a police station in October last year. has.
In October, the city’s police arrested nine people who they said were helping the 12 activists in their attempt to escape. The Chinese court statement issued Wednesday suggested that Tang and Moon’s operation was organized by other efforts. Lawyers appointed by the relatives of the accused said they “do not rule out the possibility that more people will be arrested.”
Family members of the ‘Hong Kong 12’ spoke to the media on Monday.
Photo:
miguel candela / EPA / Shutterstock
Pro-democracy activists have tried to use the cases to re-ignite Hong Kong’s protest movement, initially caused by a legitimate bill that could extradite people to mainland China.
A number of democracy activists in Hong Kong have sought refuge this year following the adoption of national security legislation, including former lawmakers Nathan Law, Ted Hui and Sixtus Leung.
—Natasha Khan contributed to this article.
Write to Joyu Wang by [email protected]
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