📡Guardians of Hong Kong
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#Court #Sedition
Police Charge Pro-democracy activist with Sedition for Chanting "Five Demands and Not One Less" and Other Protest Slogans

Pro-democracy activist Tam Tak-chi, deputy chairman of People Power, was mentioned in Fanling Magistrates' Court on Sept 8, 2020, after being detained for more than 50 hours.

The police arrested Tam in Tai Po at noon on Sept 6, charging him with “sedition” and "causing others to hate or despise the government" under Article 10 of the Cap. 200 Crimes Ordinance.

In court, the prosecution claimed that the following phrases incite hatred for the government and the police.

1. "Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution of Our Times"
2. "Five Demands Not One Less"
3. "Corrupt Cop, May Your Whole Family Die"
4. "Disband the Police Force"
5. "[Police] Disppeared on 7.21, Murdered on 8.31 and Shot People on 10.1"

The court refused Tam's application for bail and the next hearing will be held on November 27, 2020. Tam was sent to Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre for further detention.

One day before the court, pro-Beijing channel TVB News had already released information: it was said that Tam from the end of June to August had been disseminating "seditious materials" by running street stations, speaking via loudspeakers, and publishing on social media platforms. These messages included "Down with the Communist Party" and slogans "Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution of our Times", and calling for "sanctions against officials". The pro-Beijing news channel described his behavior as "an attempt to provoke surrounding people."

Source: Stand News #Sept7 ;
Apple Daily #Sept8
https://www.facebook.com/710476795704610/posts/3434549639963965/

https://hk.appledaily.com/local/20200908/U7AJ64X7WVDFVEUQDA2RQD5GDI/

#WhiteTerror #Censorship #RulebyLaw #FreeSpeech #TamTakChi
Approximately 20million people protest in Belarus; tens thousands of people in Lithuania and other places support the human chain; Alexander Lukashenko toting a rifle to support the riot police

Source: Stand News #Aug24

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https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/25114
Approximately 200,000 people protest in Belarus; tens thousands of people in Lithuania and other places support the human chain; Alexander Lukashenko toting a rifle to support the riot police

Up to 15-200,000 people took to the streets for two consecutive Sundays in Belarus, requesting the step down of the President, Alexander Lukashenko. The local media uploaded a video in social media, showing that the President was toting a rifle and wearing bulletproof vest to support the riot police. In Lithuania and Czech Republic, people form human chains to the Belarus protest.

Viktor Khrenin, Secretary of Defence, posted a video and warned that if the city is found to be in a turmoil, they will be facing against the army, instead of the police. But there were still 20million people gathering at the Independence Square in Minsk, holding the red and white flags that were used by Belarus after gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. “Resign!” and “pull Lukashenko into the police car!”, they shouted. The demonstrators marched around the city.

According to The Guardian, the local government media uploaded a video on social media platform, showing that Lukashenko was wearing a bulletproof vest and inspecting the demonstration in a helicopter. “They flee like rats,” said the President when he order the pilot to fly closer to its citizens. He then toted rifle to cheer for the riot police. The police responded with hands clapping in jubilation.

People from the Three Baltic States, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, and Prague in the Czech Republic formed various human chains to support the protesters in Belarus. In Lithuania, around 3.5million people joined, stretching the chain from the capital Vilnius to the border with Belarus. The chain was over 30km. The President of Lithuania, Gitanas Nauseda, also participated with her wife together, standing by the border.

Source: Standnews #Aug24
#PoliceState
Police Forbid Hong Kong Boy from Giving out Free Masks to Fellow Citizens During Pandemic

At around 7pm on Sept 8 in Hong Kong, a youngster wearing a black tee that read "We love Hong Kong so damn much" was encircled by several police officers. The youngster was giving out free face masks for his fellow citizens outside Kwai Fong metro Station.

The police stopped the boy from distributing masks, recorded his personal details and searched his bag for at least 10 minutes. Passersby went to console the boy after the police left the scene.

Source: PSHK #Sept8
https://www.facebook.com/111587046907016/posts/384481639617554/

#FaceMasks #CoronavirusPandemic #LoveHongKong #HongKongYouth

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Police Charge Pro-democracy activist with Sedition for Chanting "Five Demands and Not One Less"
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/25112

12-Year-Old Girl, Shopping for Stationery, Body-Slammed to the Ground by Police
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/25059
WeChat Censorship Tightens with Chinese State Media Articles Containing Sensitive Words Blocked Too, Says University of Toronto Study

Source: Apple Daily #Aug29

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https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/25120
WeChat Censorship Tightens with Chinese State Media Articles Containing Sensitive Words Blocked Too, Says University of Toronto Study

A report by the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab released this week shows that censorship on WeChat has been tightened. The lab tracked changes to WeChat’s list of censored words between this January and May. It was found that over 2,000 words relating to the pandemic have been marked sensitive and blocked. An article by the state media, too, would disappear from the platform if it contains any of those sensitive words, shwoing that the freedom of expression on WeChat is even more limited than that allowed by the state media.

As WeChat censors contents on a remote server, it was not possible for the researchers to understand how the censorship works by inspecting the codes. What they did instead was to create three dummy accounts with one Chinese and two Canadian numbers. They then started a group conversation where they shared Chinese-language articles from media organizations in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China. By observing which articles were blocked, they identified the words deemed sensitive by WeChat.

The study reveals that more than 2,000 words relating to the Wuhan virus pandemic were blocked by WeChat between this January and May, even if they came in an article by the state media. That WeChat banned certain topics allowed by the state-controlled media is a sign that it adheres to an even more stringent standard.

The investigation shows how WeChat has manipulated the narrative on the pandemic from the start. It was found that back when Wuhan was placed under lockdown, WeChat was already blocking texts containing the name of the whistle-blower Li Wenliang. Reports of the Chinese authorities informing the US of the outbreak as early as on 3 January were also blocked. Articles containing the terms “Centers for Disease Control and Prevention” and “SARS-CoV-2”, too, were banned from being circulated.

As the epidemic spread to the rest of world in March, WeChat began blocking articles mentioning such international organizations as the WHO and the Red Cross and those that dealt with outbreaks in countries like Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Russia, and the UK. Articles containing keywords about the US and international relations were also banned.

#UniversityOfToronto #UofT #CitizenLab #China #WeChat #Censorship #Pandemic #WuhanVirus #Coronavirus #LiWenliang

Source: Apple Daily #Aug29

https://bit.ly/3h3ftL4
Two more Chinese researchers in the U.S. arrested and charged with theft of trade secrets and destruction of evidence to hinder an investigation.

Source: Standnews #Aug29

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Two more Chinese researchers in the U.S. arrested and charged with theft of trade secrets and destruction of evidence to hinder an investigation.

Following the indictment last week of a Chinese professor at Texas A&M University, also a NASA researcher, for allegedly covering up his dealings with Chinese universities and companies, two more Chinese academics in the U.S. have been arrested. A researcher from the University of Virginia (UVA), Haizhou HU, has been charged with obtaining information from protected computers and stealing trade secrets. Another researcher from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Lei GUAN, has been arrested on suspicion of destroying evidence to obstruct an FBI investigation.

According to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice, Hu was arrested yesterday (August 28) at the University of Virginia, at where he had conducted research in bio-mimics and fluid dynamics. He attempted to board a flight to China at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport four days before his arrest. However, during a route check at the airport, he was found to be in unauthorized possession of the source code of the biomimicry software, which had been the subject of years of research by University of Virginia personnel. Hu has been accused of obtaining information from a protected computer without authorization or exceeding authority and stealing trade secrets.

In the light of another press release of the U.S. Department of Justice, Guan was denied boarding a flight to China after he disposed of a damaged computer hard drive in a trash bin outside his home on Tuesday (25 August). The FBI's subsequent attempts to recover the drive were unsuccessful, the data was forcibly removed, and Guan was charged with destroying evidence to impede an FBI investigation. He had already been investigated for transferring sensitive U.S. software and technical information to China's National University of Defense Technology (NUDT), where he lied about having nothing to do with the PLA before admitting to having received training from NUDT and wearing its uniform.

The Chinese-American professor at Texas A&M University, Zhengdong Cheng, also a NASA researcher, was arrested last Sunday (23 August) and a hearing was arranged next day on charges of conspiracy, making false statements and wire fraud for allegedly deliberately concealing his involvement with a Chinese university and at least one Chinese company.

Source: Standnews #Aug29

#ChineseSpies #UVA #UCLA #TexasAMUniversity #NASA #Chigaco #NUDT #ThousandTalentsProject
#ChowTszLok #10months #HLM #HongKongLivesMatter
Police Bar citizens from Commemorating Deceased Protesters

Sept 8, 2020 marked 10 months since the passing of Chow Tsz-lok, a 22-year-old student of HK University of Science and Technology (#HKUST) on Nov 8, 2019. He sustained severe head injuries after falling from height at a car park during a pro-democracy protest.

https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/25090

HKUST students' union called on citizens not to forget Chow. Many citizens went on their own and lay white flowers at the carpark. Since early this evening, at least 4 police vehicles were prominently stationed nearby and over 30 armed police, some with pepper ball guns, patrolled around the area.

Whenever a slightly bigger group of citizens appeared, police yelled, “don’t stop, keep walking.” When citizens tried to light a candle after laying flowers, public relations officers stopped them instantly, “you are here to pay tribute, don’t build anything unnecessary."

Source: InMedia #Sept8
#ReligionFreedom
#ChowTszLok #10months #HLM #HongKongLivesMatter
HK Old Man Weeps Before Deceased Protesters' Altar: "We will avenge you, we must avenge you"

At 20:09 on Sept 8, 2020, Hongkongers observed a minute of silence for 22-year-old student Chow Tsz-lok who passed away 10 months ago on the same day after falling from height during police operation.

Citizens set up an altar to commemorate Chow outside the carpark where he fell. People lit candles and lay flowers despite police surveillance and interference.

Into the evening, an elderly man, with the support of a walking stick, slowly came before the altar. He put his palms together and bowed while shedding tears.

He said to the altar in a sorrowful voice, "we will avenge you, we must avenge you".

Source: Stand News #Sept8
https://www.facebook.com/710476795704610/posts/3438630336222562/

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Police Bar citizens from Commemorating Deceased Protesters
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/25126
#Thailand #Education
Over 600 Students Rally for Education reform, Freedom of speech and Equality in Thailand

In Thailand, more than 600 high school students and teaching staff assembled outside the building of Education Bureau in the capital Bangkok, to denounce the current education system for its outdatedness, and turning students into puppets.

An 18-year-old protestor said, ”we are not robots. We have the right to voice out.”

In the march, some students held a gesture of 3 fingers, some had white ribbon, and others cross-dressed demanding equal rights for people of all genders.

Source: Stand News #Sept7
https://www.facebook.com/710476795704610/posts/3430630603689202/

#MilkTeaAlliance #EducationReform #Equality
#AsiaFinest #HongKongPolice
Police Reportedly Commit Dangerous Driving, Almost Colliding with a Private Car Carrying a Pregnant Woman

Source: Apple Daily
#DangerousDriving

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https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/25132
#AsiaFinest #HongKongPolice
Police Reportedly Commit Dangerous Driving, Almost Colliding with a Private Car Carrying a Pregnant Woman

On the evening of September 1, 2020, a police vehicle suddenly cut across the double white lines and almost collided with a private car.

Apple Daily contacted the civilian on the private car, Mr. Kwok who was driving at that time and had his pregnant wife as a passenger. Mr. Kwok recounted the incident at 11:55pm on September 1.

When approaching the toll booth, a police car on the manual toll booth driving lane, suddenly cut across the double white lines, jamming into the driving lane right in front of Mr. Kwok's car. It was lucky that he managed to react quickly to avoid a collision, but his pregnant wife was already screaming in shock.

Mr. Kwok accused the police officer in the vehicle of having no sense of safety. He hopes that the Police Force will look into the incident and penalize the officer concerned.

However, the dash camera on Mr. Kwok's car was unable to capture a clear view of the police vehicle’s license plate. This makes it hard to lodge a formal complaint. Nevertheless, Mr. Kwok said, even if he could find out the license number, the Department of Justice might withdraw the charge against the police.

Source: Apple Daily #Sept3
https://hk.appledaily.com/breaking/20200903/S5MIVI7GAZEJBK6FCVYS7QQ5LU/

#PoliceState #FailedState
#DangerousDriving