#Injustice #Court #Censorship
HK Judge Orders Lawyer and Defendant's Family to Leave the Courtroom for Wearing Yellow Masks During a Trial

District Judge Ernest Lin demanded a lawyer and two family members of defendants, who were wearing yellow-color surgical masks, to leave the courtroom or change into masks of other colors.

While the lawyer has obliged, others refused to comply and are planning to file a complaint.

Four defendants pleaded guilty to illegal assembly and assault in a hearing on January 11, 2021. They were arrested in a conflict with pro-Beijing counter-protesters at a rally at Amoy Plaza in September 2019, which saw three people injured.

Source: Stand News; Apple Daily #Jan11

https://www.thestandnews.com/court/淘大衝突-四男認非法集結-法官練錦鴻趕戴黃口罩律師離席-質疑現場-黃背心-暴動/

#YellowMasks

#GreatFireWall
Internet Service Provider Comfirms Authorities Use #NationalSecurityLaw to Block Website

Hong Kong Broadband Network (#HKBN), an internet service provider, confirmed on Jan 14, 2021 that the Hong Kong authotities have ordered them to block access to a local website (http://hkchronicles.com) under the national security law.

Article 43 of the national security law gives police the power to order internet service providers to remove any material published online deemed be a national security breach.

Data scientists and civilians in Hong Kong worry that the online censorship will spread to internet news outlets in future.

Source: RTHK; Stand News #Jan14
http://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1570463-20210114.htm

#HKChronicles

#Interview #HongkongersVoice
Dr. Arisina Ma: I Have No Regret, I can only stand on the side where I think is right

Source: Stand News #Jan8
https://bit.ly/2MMdgdN

Read more
⬇️⬇️⬇️

#Interview #HongkongersVoice
Dr. Arisina Ma: I Have No Regret, I can only stand on the side where I think is right

Read Part 1:

https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/27959

Part 2:

If she was not elected as the President of Hong Kong Public Doctors' Association (#PDA), Dr #ArisinaMa would have remained as an ordinary specialist for the elderly at a public hospital.

When asked if she had any regrets, Ma responded with a smile. She said that this is “personality decided destiny”. It is a one-way journey of which there is no time for regrets.

“This is fate. Too many things have happened this year, and frankly speaking, I don’t have much time to look back and reflect. Like many Hongkongers, our fast-paced lives leave us with no time to reflect and no time to regret.”

“Perhaps in the next couple of decades, doctors will still be making a good living. As for the “yes-men”, will they still be living in Hong Kong?

She has no regrets over this "personality decided fate".

“I think our society has become increasingly polarizing, where justice and evil, friends and foes are clearly set apart from each other. With my personality, it is easy for me to choose which side to stand on.

“Justice is everything, yet it has been ruthlessly challenged during our current times. In the face of these challenges, I can only stand on the side where I think is right.”

As a doctor, I wish to make a mark with my contributions during these troubled times.

“Hong Kong is facing a shortage of resources, inadequate services and a dearth in social welfare. Although I cannot drive wide-ranging societal changes like a politician, I still hope that I can make an impact to slow down the declining standards in medical services.

Source: Stand News #Jan8
https://bit.ly/2MMdgdN

#Injustice #CCPLaw #Doxxing
Chinese Human Rights Lawyers Harrassed and Threatened by CCP

Source: Apple Daily, #Jan10

Read more
⬇️⬇️⬇️

#Injustice #CCPLaw #Doxxing
Chinese Human Rights Lawyers Harrassed and Threatened by CCP

The Sichuan based Chinese #HumanRightsLawyer #LuSiWei told Apple Daily that he was being followed by four black-clad men in China since a few days ago.

On January 10, 2021, outside of his residence, his handphone was snatched by another unknown man who subsequently, threw his phone on the ground and ran away. Lu immediately reported the case to a nearby police station.

Lu suspected that these unknown men have been sent by the Chinese police, and that one of the men is a government worker in his district.

He alleged that the incident was connected to his involvement in 'politically sensitive' cases which recently led to revocation of his license.

Calling it an “old fashioned harassment”, Lu condemned the series of incidents a serious threat to his personal freedom.

Lu was appointed by the family members of Quinn Moon, one of the 12 Hongkongers whose boat was intercepted by mainland Chinese authorities during a reported ill-fated flee to Taiwan in August 2020

#Save12HongKongYouths

Source: Apple Daily, #Jan10
https://bit.ly/3nxP5fC

=====
Related article

CCP Revokes Human Rights Lawyers' Licence Reportedly for Helping the 12 Pro-democracy Hongkongers
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/27918

Feature Story: The doomsday of the news department as witnessed by five i-Cable journalists

A large crowd gathered outside Cable TV Tower at Hoi Shing Road, Tsuen Wan, a rare scene. All pointing their cameras at the bright red Cable TV logo, a line of photo journalists would charge forward and press the shutters whenever there was any hint of activity inside.

Among the photos, there is one showing news reader Kenix Lau Tsz-Fung leaving with a suitcase which carried her outfits on cast. Sports journalist Chan Hon-Wai held a basketball to his chest. Veteran journalist Alex Sin Ching-Fung carried a carton with a sticker “3 HK” which became a talking point of the netizens. 

Source: Standnews #Dec01

#Doomsday #ICable #Journalists #Press

https://telegra.ph/Feature-Story-The-doomsday-of-the-news-department-as-witnessed-by-five-i-Cable-journalists-01-12

The mass arrest of democrats on Jan 6 signifies the domination of the National Security Law. Here is the primary election timeline to recap main incidents.

#NationalSecurityLaw #PrimaryElection #LegCoElection #GoHKgraphics

US Criticises China’s Violation of North Korea Sanctions, Offers USD 5M for Information Providers

Source: Apple Daily #Dec01

⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

US Criticises China’s Violation of North Korea Sanctions, Offers USD 5M for Information Providers

The US State Department criticised China on Tuesday (Nov 24) for publicly violating the international community’s sanction regime on North Korea and announced that Washington will offer a reward of USD 5 million (HKD 39 million) to any persons who provide information on individuals in violation of the sanctions on North Korea.

The US Deputy Assistant Secretary for North Korea Alex Wong accused China during a video speech at an event hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He said that China was “seeking to undo” the UN’s sanctions on North Korea, in attempting to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons. He criticised that a premature withdrawing of the sanction may weaken the bargaining power in the negotiations for denuclearisation.

Wong also said that there were at least 20 thousand North Korean labourers within the Chinese borders, and that some Chinese corporations were engaged with more than 20 North Koreans connected to weapons of mass destructions or banks in North Korea.

He added that in the past year, the US discovered that North Korean ships violated the bans for at least 555 times in the transportation of sanctioned products, including coal, to China, “On none of these occasions... did the Chinese authorities act to stop these illicit imports.” The US will offer USD 5 million rewards to individuals who could provide information on North Korea’s sanction evasions.

#US #China #NorthKorea #Washington #AlexWong #USDepartmentofStates #DOS #Nuclearisation #Denuclearisation #Sanction #UN #UnitedNations #nuclear #RewardOffer

Source: Apple Daily #Dec01

https://bit.ly/2N0idzK

As China Tracked Muslims, Alibaba Showed Customers How They Could, Too

The website of Alibaba, one of the world’s most valuable internet companies, taught its corporate customers how they could detect members of a minority group with its facial recognition software. The feature was built into Alibaba software that helps web platforms monitor digital content for material related to terrorism, pornography and other red-flag categories, the website said.

After The Times asked Alibaba about the tool, the company edited its website to remove the references to Uighur and minority faces and declined to explained why information of this feature had been included official documentation of its software.

Source: New York Times #Dec16

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/16/technology/alibaba-china-facial-recognition-uighurs.html?referringSource=articleShare

#Alibaba #China #FacialRecognition #Muslim

China 'misled world' on Hong Kong security law, says Dominic Raab

Source: The Guardian #Jan06

⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

China 'misled world' on Hong Kong security law, says Dominic Raab

Dominic Raab reiterated the UK’s offer to holders of British national (overseas) passports in the city to come and live in Britain, and said, “these arrests demonstrate that the Hong Kong and Chinese authorities deliberately misled the world about the true purpose of the national security law, which is being used to crush dissent and opposing political views.”

As international criticism mounted, the last British governor of Hong Kong Lord Patten has told the EU not to go ahead with an economic deal with China. He added: “If this deal goes ahead it will make a mockery of Europe’s ambitions to be taken seriously as a global political and economic player. It spits in the face of human rights and shows a delusional view of the Chinese Communist party’s trustworthiness on the international stage. It is surely inconceivable that the European parliament can support the miserable draft deal that the European commission wants to sign with Beijing.

Source: The Guardian #Jan06

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/06/british-politicians-urge-eu-to-drop-china-deal-after-hong-kong-arrests

#HongKong #NationalSecurityLaw #EUChinaDeal #China

#CoronersInquest
Volunteer #FirstAider who attended in #AlexChow’s case criticises the police for being dishonest

Source: Cupid News #Jan9

Read more
⬇️⬇️⬇️

#CoronersInquest
Volunteer #FirstAider who attended in #AlexChow’s case criticises the police for being dishonest

Carson Tsang Long-hin, spokesperson of the group #Ideologist, was the volunteer first aider who appeared at the Coroner’s Court as a citizen witness for Alex Chow’s case.

Tsang said he respected the jury’s decision that the cause of death was suspicious, and hoped Hong Kongers would allow time for the Chow’s family to reflect and digest the decision.

Tsang criticised the police for lying at the press conference following Chow’s death that they did not enter the parking lot when Chow fell. The police only admitted doing so when evidence that showed the opposite was found.

Tsang also questioned whether the police have done their best on the investigation as they claimed that no videotape showing Chow’s fall was found. The videotape was later found upon investigation by the Coroner and the Coroner officer.

Source: Cupid News #Jan9
https://www.facebook.com/117540932243292/posts/722022685128444/?d=n

#ChowTszLok #Truth #Jury #PoliceLies

#PoliceState #FailedState
HK Ombudsman admits no power to look into Police Command System

Source: Apple Daily, #Jan12

Read more
⬇️⬇️⬇️

#PoliceState #FailedState
HK Ombudsman admits no power to look into Police Command System

The #Ombudsman in Hong Kong has declined to look into whether the Hong Kong Police Force secretly changed some of their rules regarding the display of warrant cards and numbers by officers during the mass protests in 2019.

The watchdog said on January 12, 2021 that the complaint against the police force’s refusal to confirm whether it had changed the rules in the Police General Orders was invalid.

In October 2019, the force introduced a new set of codes called operational call signs as a means to identify officers handling protests.

At the time, the police did not say whether the requirement to show warrant cards or individual’s numbers still existed.

Police documents submitted to a court hearing in June last year showed that the force made at least three exemptions under the rules in November 2019.

These exemptions were not shown in the text of the general orders published on the police website.

The ombudsman said the police had already provided sufficient information, adding that they have no power to look into the police command system.

Source: Apple Daily, #Jan12
https://hk.appledaily.com/news/20210112/MTKJKTNQCBDDHHCAHPPMUDMHYA/

#PoliceOrdinance #HongKongPolice

#RuleofLaw #HKBA
Chairman of HK Bar Association: Secretary for Justice Needs to Stop Unprincipled Attacks on #JudicialIndependence

Source: Stand News, #Jan11

Read more
⬇️⬇️

#RuleofLaw #HKBA
Chairman of HK Bar Association: Secretary for Justice Needs to Stop Unprincipled Attacks on #JudicialIndependence

In his speech marking the opening of the Legal Year on 11 January 2021, Chairman of the Hong Kong Bar Association, #PhilipDykes talked about judicial independence imperative to maintaining the Rule of Law in Hong Kong.

Dykes said his main concern were accusations that judges had acted out of partiality or bad faith “for no reason other than that they happened to decide a case one way rather than the other. Or because the result does not fit a political or moral agenda.”

He opined that these attacks on the judges “are pure poison” and it is the justice secretary’s responsibility to ensure accountability for these acts. He added, “If nothing is done about attacks, they will undermine confidence and respect for the courts and the administration of justice will slowly evaporate.”

Dykes stressed that “Without independent-minded lawyers, you will not have independent-minded judges.” “Independence at the Bar means being bold in defense and, where necessary, bold in aggression. It means barristers will take on unpopular causes and stick doggedly with them and not being swayed by negative opinions about them or their clients.”

He further elaborated that “the Judiciary is, notoriously, weaker than the other branches of Government whose functions, duties and powers are described in Chapter IV Basic Law”.

"The Judiciary commands no army or police force nor can it appeal to a sympathetic political electorate for support. It must demonstrate its worth in the constitutional order by commanding the people's respect through its commitment to the Rule of Law, which means, essentially, administering justice 'without fear or favour, self-interest or deceit."

"When there is a creeping barrage of baseless criticism that supposes that judges are politically biased, incompetent or dishonest, the damage is done not so much to the judges, who have broad backs, but to the Judiciary as an institution."

Dykes wrapped up his address hoping that “common sense prevails and that people see that conscienceless attacks on the Judiciary do no one any good. They eat away at society's respect for the Law, which is necessary for judicial independence.”

He carried on saying, "without judicial independence, a pearl of great price, we might as well pack up our bags and steal away for Hong Kong is nothing without it.”

Source: Stand News, #Jan11

=====
Read Philip Dykes’ full speech
Speech of the Chairman of the Hong Kong Bar Association, Philip Dykes SC, at the Opening of the Legal Year 2021, dated 11 January 2021

https://www.hkba.org/sites/default/files/20210111-Speech%20of%20Bar%20Chairman%20at%20Opening%20of%20Legal%20Year%202021%20%28E%29.pdf

#DualNationality #NationalSecurityLaw
Beijing Loyalist: "For Hongkongers who decide to leave, it’s time they had to choose: foreign citizenship or right of abode in Hong Kong"

Source: Stand News, #Jan10

Read more
⬇️⬇️⬇️