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#PoliticalOppression #Censorship
HK Government Bans Pro-democracy Group's Flower Stall in Lunar New Year Market

Founded in Hong Kong in 1989, The Alliance in Support of Democratic Patriotic Movements in China organizes the annual June Fourth candlelight vigil at Hong Kong's Victoria Park, in commemoration of the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre in China.

The Alliance has been running a flower stall at the annual Lunar New Year Market in Hong Kong since 1990 for more than 30 years.

However, after midnight on Feb 6, 2021, the Hong Kong government suddenly terminated the contract for their stall, claiming that they have displayed "irrelevant banners".

In the evening before, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (#FEHD) had ordered the Alliance to remove "banners with political messages" within 2 hours, but without naming them.

The Alliance told Apple Daily that they had no idea which banner carries "political message" in the eye of the government. In the end, they covered the word "donation" and the slogans "Vindicate June Fourth" and "For Freedom, Fight Together".

Despite their willingness to co-operate, the authorities decided to ban the stall completely before they could open. At around 8:30am on Feb 6, the government sent staff to cordon off the area with plastic tape, leaving no ground for discussion.

The chairman of the Alliance Lee Cheuk-yan said that in the past 32 years, the Alliance was able to display similar messages.

Source: Apple Daily; RTHK #Feb6
https://bit.ly/2Ln5K8J

#CNYMarket #VictoriaPark #PoliceState #JuneFourth #FlowerStall #LeeCheukYan
#MassArrest #PoliticalPersecution
Regression of Human Rights: Hong Kong Police Accuse 26 Pro-democracy Activists of Participating in "Unlawful Assembly" on Memorial Day of Tiananman Massacre

In 2020, the Hong Kong government banned the annual vigil for the June 4th Tiananmen Massacre for the first time.

The Hong Kong Alliance still held a memorial at Hong Kong's Victoria Park last year. A number of pro-democracy activists, including the Alliance chairman Cheuk-yan Lee, former secretary-general of Demosistō Joshua Wong, and former chairman of Demosistō Nathan Law, were charged with “participating in unlawful assembly knowingly”.

The case which was supposed to be trialed on Feb 5, 2021 at a District Court was transferred to the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts, due to the large number of the accused.

Among the accused, Jimmy Lai, Joshua Wong, and Chi-wai Wu were already on remand or serving sentences in jail.

After an arrest warrant was issued, Nathan Law and Sunny Cheung both announced that they were in exile.

Before the court hearing started, chairman of the Alliance, Cheuk-yan Lee said, "it is Hongkongers' right to take part in the vigil on June 4, and no one should be guilty." He criticised the government of overriding Hong Kong’s law by the #NationalSecurityLaw and that it is a regression of human rights in Hong Kong.

Source: Cupid Producer #Feb5

https://www.facebook.com/117540932243292/posts/735988307065215/?d=n

#June4th #Vigil #LeeCheukYan #HumanitarianCrisis
Media is too big
VIEW IN TELEGRAM
#FirstHand #Mar1
#FirstHand #GoHKInterview #Mar1
"Jail First, Trial Later": Ex-Lawmaker in Hong Kong Blasts National Security Trial for Lack of Due Process

Read our English Transcript here:
⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/28864
#FirstHand #GoHKInterview #Mar1
"Jail First, Trial Later": Ex-Lawmaker in Hong Kong Blasts National Security Trial for Lack of Due Process

1800 | West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts

Watch video:
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/28863

On the early evening of March 1, 2021, former lawmaker #LeeCheukYan talked to reporters outside the court, as he was waiting for the updates on the court hearing of the 47 pro-democracy activists on trial under the #NationalSecurityLaw, along with many supporters at the scene.

It was revealed in the day's court proceedings that the prosecution had not yet finished their investigations, even though the case is already being brought to court.

Lee criticized the lack of due process under the draconian law, and called the government's tactics "dirty and self-contradicting".

"The authorities clumsily arrest all these people before they got their evidence together. Now that they're not ready for the trial, they wouldn't grant them bail. But this is how Hong Kong's law is like now," Lee said.

"The government is even wasting the judge's time," Lee added sympathetically, in reference to the prosecution asking to delay the case for another two months until May 2021.

"Worse yet, after all this charade, they might still not grant us bail. Then our defendants would end up jailed without trial for months," Lee pointed out.

When asked about the eight activists who were arrested together with the 47 but were not charged today, Lee says that the government's choice not to prosecute them seems intended to instigate divisions within the pro-democracy camp.

However, it only made their arrest even more ridiculous: "They don't even have evidence for the 47 they charged today, let alone the eight." Even so, Lee said, the government showed its intent to first keep the 47 pro-democracy activists and politicians behind bars for some time. "You simply don't know when they'll be free. The whole thing is ridiculous."

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More first-hand interviews from the same day:

Pro-democracy Activist #FigoChan: I Am Sure We Won't Give Up
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/28861

#Court #PoliticalPrisoners #PoliceState #47Democrats #PoliticalPersecution #Injustice #HumanitarianCrisis #RuleByLaw
#PoliticalPrisoners #PoliceState
Hong Kong #Court Jails Heavyweight Pro-Democracy Figures: 14 months for Jimmy Lai and 18 months for 'Long Hair'

On April 16, 2021, Hong Kong court jailed some heavy-weight pro-democracy figures for "organising and participating in unauthorized assembly" during the Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill (#AntiELAB) Movement in 2019.

August 18, 2019 marks one of the largest protests during the movement where pro-democracy Hongkongers walked peacefully in the heavy rain from Victoria Park to Central to express their voice.

The following are the jail terms announced by the distrct judge Amanda Woodcock :

#Longhair #Leung KwokHung: 18 months (the longest term)

#AppleDaily founder #JimmyLai: 14 months (*combinig with another case involving a protest on August 31, 2019)

Former lawmaker #LeeCheukYan: 14 months
(*combinig with another case involving a protest on August 31, 2019)

Former lawmaker #AuNokHin: 10 months

Former lawmaker #CydHo: 8 months.

Former lawmakers #MartinLee,
#MargaretNg, #AlbertHo and #YeungSum: suspended jail terms

Source: Stand News #Apr16
Photo: Nasha Chan

https://bit.ly/3tuIDKs

https://bit.ly/3dnoxMn

https://bit.ly/3e9lgiS

#HKProtests #PoliticalSuppression #JailTerm
#Court #PoliticalPrisoners
10 veteran pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong plead guilty over 'National Mourning Day' Protest in 2019; 'Long Hair' Appears in Court with Short Hair


In Hong Kong court on May 17, 2021, ten heavy-weight pro-democracy activists pleaded guilty to "organising an unauthorised protest" on October 1, 2019.

They are former legislators 'long hair' #LeungKwokHung, #AlbertHo, #LeeCheukYan, #YeungSum, #CydHo and #SinChungKai; #AppleDaily founder #JimmyLai; and activists #FigoChan, #AveryNg and #RichardTsoi. That day marked the 'National Mourning Day' protest on the establishment day of the PRC during the Anti-ELAB movement

Among the defendants, convenor of the Civil Human Rights Front (#CHRF) Figo Chan, 'long hair' Leung Kwok-hung, Albert Ho, and Lee Cheuk-yan also pleaded guilty to "inciting" others on September 30, 2019 to take part in the protest.

When '#LongHair' Leung Kwok-hung appeared in court on May 17, 2021, his signature long hair has been cut short. Leung is currently serving his sentence in Stanley Prison for organizing and participating in an 'unauthorized' assembly on August 18, 2019.

The last time he was seen in short hair was in 2014 when serving a 4-week sentence after being convicted of 'causing chaos' in the Legislative Council in 2011. Then, Leung was forced to cut away his long hair due to the appearance policy of the correctional services.

Leung later filed a legal review, pointing out that it is discriminatory when female inmates are allowed to keep long hair while male inmates are not. In November 2020, the Court of Final Appeal approved Leung's review.

Nevertheless, on February 1, 2021, the Department of Correctional Services implemented a new policy where inmates, regardless of their gender, cannot keep their hair beyond their shoulder's length.

Source: InMedia #May17
https://bit.ly/3waOe9r

#PoliticalSuppression #HumanitarianCrisis #CorrectionalServices #NationalMourning
#PoliticalProsecution #Injustice
Hong Kong #Court Sends More Pro-demoracy Activists to Jail: At Least 20 Months for Jimmy Lai and 22 Months for '#LongHair'

Ten Hong Kong pro-democracy politicians and activists were sentenced to jail for 14 to 18 months on May 28, 2021, after the court convicted them of organizing and joining an "unauthorised protest" on October 1, 2019, which was the national day of the People's Republic of China. Back then, the participating pro-democracy ptotesters described the day as the "#NationalMourningDay".

District Court judge Amanda Woodcock claimed that the defendants' wish for a peaceful protest is "naive" and "unrealistic".

Former legislators #AlbertHo, #LeeCheukYan and 'Long Hair' #LeungKwokHung and Civil Human Rights Front (#CHRF) convenor #FigoChan received a 18-month jail term.

AppleDaily founder #JimmyLai, former legislators #CydHo and #YeungSum, and former League of Social Democrats (#LSD) chairman #AveryNg were sentenced to 14 months in jail.

Only former legislator #SinChungKai and activist #RichardTsoi received suspended jail terms.

With their existing prison terms from other cases, Jimmy Lai and Lee Cheuk-yan are currently serving 20 months in prison in total while that of Leung Kwok-hung has accumulated to 22 months at the moment.

In the courtroom, some pro-democracy supporters chanted "fight on". From the defendants' seats, Leung Kwok-hung called out "Remember June 4th [Tiananmen Massacre]", while Figo Chan shout "mourn on June 4, speak out on July 1".

Source: Stand News #May26
https://bit.ly/3yL3FqT

#PoliticalPrisoner #Sentence #PoliceState #June4 #TiananmenMassacre #NationalDay
#PoliceState
Hong Kong Alliance Chairpersons Charged with "Inciting Subversion of State"

Source: NowTV; Stand News; Hong Kong Free Press #Sept10

Read more
⬇️⬇️
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/31008
#PoliceState
Hong Kong Alliance Chairpersons Charged with "Inciting Subversion of State"

On September 10, 2021, the Department of Justice (#DoJ) in Hong Kong laid charges of "Inciting subversion of state power" against the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, as well as its chairperson #LeeCheukYan, and co-chairs #AlbertHo and #ChowHangTung.

The Alliance was informed of the charges via the Hong Kong police, whose National Security department had yesterday carried off a large number of items from the Alliance's June 4 museum as evidence.

The case was brought to court on September 10, 2021. The court denied Chow's application for bail, while Lee and Ho have been detained for long under other charges relating to the pro-democracy movement.

[Editor's note: The same charge of "inciting subversion" were used by China against activists of the 1989 Tiananmen protests, which the Alliance commemorated in a candlelight vigil every year. It had not been applicable to Hong Kong until the introduction of the #NationalSecurityLaw in 2020.]

Source: NowTV; Stand News; Hong Kong Free Press #Sept10

https://thestandnews.page.link/zWbkF1EKaJhzPZJh6

https://www.facebook.com/hongkongfp/posts/4345088285578263

#June4 #Museum #WhiteTerror #WhiteWash #PoliticalSuppression #Intimidation #Regime #Tiananmen
Hong Kong Authorities to Delist Pro-democracy NGO from Registry

According to sources on September 10, 2021, the Secretary for Security #ChrisTang, who is the former police commissioner, is removing the pro-democracy group, The Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, from its company registration.

The Hong Kong authorities have launched a crackdown on the 31-year-old pro-democracy group, which is the key organizer of the annual candle vigil at Hong Kong's Victoria Park, commemorating the victims of the 1989 June 4 Tiananmen Massacre in Beijing.

Also on September 10, 2021, the Department of Justice (#DoJ) has charged the chairpersons of the group, including #LeeCheukYan, #AlbertHo and #ChowHangTung, of "state subversion" under the #NationalSecurityLaw.

One day ago, the police raided the already-closed June 4 Museum, previously run by the group.

Source: MingPao #Sept10

https://news.mingpao.com/ins/%e6%b8%af%e8%81%9e/article/20210910/s00001/1631252317345/%e6%b6%88%e6%81%af-%e4%bf%9d%e5%ae%89%e5%b1%80%e9%95%b7%e9%81%8b%e7%94%a8%e6%ac%8a%e5%8a%9b-%e6%8a%8a%e6%94%af%e8%81%af%e6%9c%83%e5%89%94%e5%87%ba%e8%a8%bb%e5%86%8a%e5%85%ac%e5%8f%b8%e5%90%8d%e5%86%8a

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Read more

National Security Police Raids #June4 Museum in Hong Kong, Damaging Exhibits and Locking Out Owner

https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/31004

#HongKongAlliance Chairpersons Charged with "Inciting Subversion of State"

https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/31008