HONG KONG – A group of Hong Kong protesters arrested by Chinese authorities while fleeing the city by speedboat were sentenced to prison in a mainland court on Wednesday in the Chinese Communist Party’s latest offensive against pro- democratic activists who tried to challenge its rule.
Eight of the protesters, who are charged with illegally crossing a border, have been sentenced to seven months in prison. Two others, Tang Kai-yin (31) and Quinn Moon (33), who were charged with the more serious offense of organizing the escape attempt, received three and two years respectively.
The protesters also received fines of 10,000 to 20,000 yuan, about $ 1,500 to $ 3,000.
Two other defendants, who were juveniles at the time of their arrest, pleaded guilty in a closed trial and were not charged thereafter, a statement said Wednesday from prosecutors in mainland Shenzhen, where the activists were being held. Hong Kong police on Wednesday said they would be monitored two unnamed accused by the mainland authorities.
The twelve protesters were caught in August by the Chinese Coast Guard, about 45 km southeast of Hong Kong Island, while trying to flee to Taiwan. Many Hong Kongers who oppose Beijing have sought refuge in Taiwan in recent months, especially since June, when the central government of Hong Kong introduced a tough national security law that, according to many people, stifled the city’s valued civil liberties.
One of the protesters captured, Andy Li, is being investigated under the new law during his escape attempt.
The case of the 12 activists – who have been hailed by supporters at home as “Hong Kong youths” even though they are between 17 and 33 years old – has highlighted the fears of many protesters against the government over the continued attack on the central government in Hong Kong. , a former British colony that promised 50 years of relative autonomy when it was returned to China in 1997.
Because the detainees were detained and tried on the mainland, according to the group representing family members, they were denied access to lawyers chosen by their family members. They were also charged with any crime only this month, more than three months after their arrest.
The sentencing on Wednesday in the Yantian District’s People’s Court in Shenzhen City has highlighted the differences between the continent’s legal system, which is opaque and often used to silence dissidents, and Hong Kong’s system, which follows common law principles. exposed.
According to family members in Hong Kong, there were no relatives of the accused present, although the court in Shenzhen said in a statement that some family members attended. The family members were notified of the trial date only three days in advance.
The trial was also not open to observers, despite requests from the family and some foreign diplomats. (Shenzhen officials reportedly said the courtroom was full.)
According to reports in China’s state-run news media, the ten protesters pleaded guilty in the hope that they would receive a lighter sentence.
In a statement Monday, after the trial opened, the group of family members said the court proceedings were evidence of a clear, draconian political prosecution.
“The families of the 12 were in great pain during their detention,” the statement continued. “They are just asking for the safety of their children and their earliest return to Hong Kong.”
The case also brought condemnation from overseas governments that were critical of China’s repression of Hong Kong. A spokesman for the US embassy in China called for an immediate release from activists, adding in a statement on Monday that “their so-called ‘crime’ had to flee tyranny. “
A European Union spokesman said the defendants’ rights to a fair trial were “not respected.” And Dominic Raab, the British Foreign Secretary, said he was “deeply concerned” about the proceedings.
In response to the allegations, Zhao Lijian, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said the United States “should immediately stop interfering in China’s internal affairs and judicial sovereignty.”
Authorities in Hong Kong also prosecuted protesters. Tony Chung, a 19-year-old student activist, was sentenced on Tuesday to four months in prison for the illegal gathering and insulting the national flag.