📡Guardians of Hong Kong
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#Court #RuleByLaw #Regime #Justice
Department of Justice Cites Unenacted #Article23 in Hong Kong Court

Source: Apple Daily #Feb2

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#Court #RuleByLaw #Regime #Justice
Department of Justice Cites Unenacted #Article23 in Hong Kong Court

Founder of Apple Daily and Next Magazine, #JimmyLai Chee-ying, has been remanded in custody in Hong Kong since the end of 2020 on suspicion of "colluding with foreign forces and fraud".

On February 1, 2020 the Court of Final Appeal in Hong Kong heard an appeal against the decision to release him on a HK$10 million cash bail, pending trial over national security charges.

The appeal was heard before five hand-picked National Security judges, including the new Chief Justice #AndrewCheung Kui-nung, permanent justices Roberto Ribeiro and Joseph Fok, and non-permanent local judges Patrick Chan Siu-oi and Frank Stock.

Representative of the Department of Justice (#DoJ), Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Anthony Chau Tin-hang attempted to put meaning to “acts that endanger national security”. Chau stated that such acts are not limited to offences under the National Security Act, but also include local offences and any actions that would endanger national security.

Non-Permanent Judge Chan asked Chau to give examples of “acts endangering national security” which are not criminalised.

Chau quoted some behaviors covered in Basic Law #Article23, referring to the prohibition of political activities by foreign political organizations in Hong Kong, or the establishment of links between local and foreign political organizations. Article 23, however, has yet to be enacted.

Non-permanent local judge Patrick Chan Siu-oi questioned, “That is to say these are not a crime.” Chau agreed. Chan immediately responded, “Then why should we be bothered?”

Permanent judge Roberto Ribeiro pointed out that the purpose of the #NationalSecurityLaw is to prevent crimes against national security, and no one questions the importance of national security. He carried on saying that it would be “odd” for judges to be concerned with acts that are not yet criminalised.

Ribeiro elaborated that "I can't think of any behavior that endangers national security but won't be contravening the law and the arrest.” He asked the DoJ representative to supplement with examples.

In response, Anthony Chau cited actus reus as a possible offence letting alone the criminal intent and thus they do not constitute an act of complete crime. Ribeiro asked the government's prosecutor to explain how bail judges could reach a decision.

Chief judge Andrew Cheung Kui-nung also casted doubt in the prosecution's logic. He said, “a citizen can commit an act that violats the National Security Law, but the person may not get arrested. However, a national security suspect, committing the same act, would be detained in custody?”

Cheung remarked, “isn’t it odd?” The DOJ representative responded that this is up to the Judge to decide. He clarified that he is referring to "an act" in relation to the suspected charges of the National Security suspect, not "any act".

The prosecutor also mentioned that the National Security Law will not supersede the "presumption of innocence" and it is also in accordance with the Human Rights Act.

When speaking on the Rights of Freedom, the prosecutor insisted that the defence shall not rely on cases of the European Court on Human Rights, reiterating that The European Convention on Human Rights cannot be applied directly to Hong Kong.

Source: Apple Daily, #Feb2
https://hk.appledaily.com/local/20210201/6KXCOOIP6VAOZK4SRCNQV5C72E/
#Covid19 #MadeinChina
Beijing Loyalist Criticises the Hong Kong Government for Lacking Proactiveness in Acquiring China-made Vaccines

Source: Stand News #Jan31

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#Covid19 #MadeinChina
Beijing Loyalist Criticises the Hong Kong Government for Lacking Proactiveness in Acquiring China-made Vaccines

Lo Chung-mau, Chief Executive of University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, was vaccinated by China-owned Sinopharm in Shenzhen. Lo stated in an interview that instead of waiting for the 3rd phase clinical data for Sinovac’s vaccines, the Hong Kong government should seek the data from Sinpopharm or the National Medical Products Administration of China. Lo claimed that the Hong Kong government was passive and only “sitting and waiting”, instead of “striking out”.

In her response in the afternoon, Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan stated that all government bureaus were performing different tasks. On the one hand, the Hong Kong government has been contacting other countries and medicine manufacturers, to negotiate the logistics, clinical data and the acquisition of vaccines, in order to speed up the importation of vaccines to Hong Kong. On the other hand, through internal communication, the Hong Kong government has to keep in touch with medical teams and hospitals and discuss the arrangements of vaccinations for the public. once they were available in Hong Kong.

Moreover, Chan said the Scientific Committees under the Centre for Health and Protection in Hong Kong would be responsible for scheduling the vaccination and monitoring post- vaccination conditions.

The Advisory Panel on COVID-19 Vaccines would take up the task of approving any emergent use of vaccines. Chan stressed that the Hong Kong government was not “just sitting there and wait”.

Source: Stand News #Jan31

#WuhanPneumonia #SophiaChan #LoChungMau #BeijingLoyalist #Sinopharm #Sinovac #Covid19Vaccine
India announces permanent ban on 59 Chinese apps including TikTok, WeChat and Baidu

Source from: Stand News #Jan26

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India announces permanent ban on 59 Chinese apps including TikTok, WeChat and Baidu

As tensions between India and China continue, India's ministry of electronics and information technology (IT) has issued its latest notice to permanently ban 59 Chinese mobile apps, including TikTok, Baidu, WeChat and UC Browser from June this year.

Indian media and Reuters report that Indian authorities have announced a "permanent ban" on 59 Chinese mobile apps, including TikTok, Baidu, WeChat, UC Browser, Helo, Likee and others. The Times of India quoted sources saying that the companies were notified of the ban last week. It also stated that the tightening of the policy came after officials in the IT ministry expressed dissatisfaction with the response of the Chinese companies involved to various queries raised by the government, including their data collection and data processing methods, as well as issues surrounding data security and privacy.

#India #China #TikTok #IT #TikTokban

Source from: Stand News #Jan26

https://bit.ly/3oS7rc4
White House spokesman: Huawei is a "distrusted supplier" and will ensure that the U.S. and its allies do not use its equipment

Source: Stand News #Jan28

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White House spokesman: Huawei is a "distrusted supplier" and will ensure that the U.S. and its allies do not use its equipment

U.S. Commerce Secretary nominee Gina Raimondo refused to commit to continuing sanctions against Huawei during her Senate confirmation hearing, prompting speculation about whether newly-elected President Joe Biden is softening his policy towards Huawei. White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said at a regular press conference that Huawei is a "distrusted vendor" and that the U.S. will ensure that neither local nor allied networks use the vendor's equipment.

As Raimondo did not commit to leaving Huawei on the sanctions blacklist, Republican Congressman Michael McCau, who did not participate in the confirmation hearings, then asked the Senate to suspend Raimondo's confirmation as Commerce Secretary. He also demanded the Biden administration to clarify whether Huawei would continue to be placed on the sanctions blacklist.

#Huawei #US #Biden #USSenate

Source: Stand News #Jan28

https://bit.ly/36Rk4hb
#Arrest #PoliticalPersecution
Police Detain and Add "Riotting" Charge to Hong Kong Pro-democracy activist

Pro-democracy activist Owen Chow was detained by the police after Chow reported to the police station on Feb 10, 2021, according to his bail condition.

Chow was previously arrested for participating in the primary election of the democracy camp in 2020, which the authorities claimed as a "breach of the #NationalSecurityLaw". On Feb 10, 2021, Chow received an addition accusation of "rioting", for purportedly entering the Legislative Council Building on July 1, 2019.

Since August 2020, Chow has been providing assistance for the families of the 12 pro-democracy Hongkongers who were arrested and jailed in China.

Source: Stand News #Feb10
https://bit.ly/3rDL5N9

#OwenChow #PrimaryElection #Save12 #LegCo #July1 #PoliceState
#PoliceState #Oppression
HK Police threatens student group exhibiting historical material of democratic movements a violation of
#NationalSecurityLaw

Source: Apple Daily #Feb1

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#PoliceState #Oppression
HK Police threatens student group exhibiting historical material of democratic movements a violation of
#NationalSecurityLaw

On January 31, 2021, five members of #ReturningValiant, a newly established pro-democracy student group in Hong Kong, set up street booths in Shatin and Mong Kok respectively at around 1pm.

The student organizers distributed pamphlets and booklets concerning democratic movements in European and Asian history.

At around 3pm, the two booths were encircled by a large number of police officers. The students at the scene were ticketed and fined for violating the gathering ban.

The students said that the police taunted and threatened them for breaching the National Security Law. The officers took away their materials as "evidence".

In response, the group questioned “if citing and sharing historical events are illegal under the National Security Law, shouldn’t History class in schools also be outlawed.”

In Shatin, the booth was also harassed by a group of Beijing loyalists at around 3pm. Soon after that, the police arrived st the scene and issued fine tickets, took pictures, and ordered them to leave.

One member of the student group said in defiance that they will continue organizing similar events in the future.

In late evening at 9pm, Hong Kong Police Force announced that police officers issued five tickets to 4 male and 1 female, aged between 13 and 24, concerning violation of social distancing restriction (#Article599G) in Mong Kok. In Shatin, another four tickets were issued to 2 male and 2 female for the same reason. The Force denied for confiscating display materials on the scene.

Source: Apple Daily, #Jan31
https://bit.ly/2MKjqew

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Read more:
HK Police Intercept Pro-Democracy Group on a Saturday
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/28488

#FailedState #History #DemocracticMovements #HongKongStudents #StreetBooth
#SimCard #RealNameRegistration
#IT Industry criticises HK government’s plan for SIM Card Real-Name Registration Programme as "Destructive Restrictions"

Source: Stand News #Feb1

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#SimCard #RealNameRegistration
#IT Industry criticises HK government’s plan for SIM Card Real-Name Registration Programme as "Destructive Restrictions"

The HK government has recently announced a "public consultation" on a real-name registration plan for all SIM cards in Hong Kong in the third term of this year.

In its open letter issued on Jan 30, 2021, the Hong Kong Information Technology Workers' Union (#HKITWU) said, it is very common for people in the IT field to own 4 to 5 SIM cards, and that the governmenr's plan is going to slow down the development of new systems.

The Union also criticised the government for implementing “destructive restrictions that impose negatively impacts on the future of the technology development of the Greater Bay Area”. The Union requested the government to think twice and take back the proposal.

The Union opined that the real-name plan yields unnecessary restrictions, as the SIM cards are extensively used to pose different virtual identities during the process of developing new systems in technology companies. Using these virtual identities, developers are able to locate and correct system errors and conduct pressure tests to analyze the stability of the new system. If the real-name registration plan is imposed, system developments are inevitably going to be slowed down. The costs of development projects are also going to be increased because of the government’s excessive censorship.

Source: Stand News #Feb1

#Censorship #FailedState
#MassArrest #PoliticalPersecution
Hong Kong Police Accuse 26 Pro-democracy Activists of Participating in "Unlawful Assembly" on Memorial Day of Tiananman Massacre

Source: Cupid Producer #Feb5

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#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
Although the Hong Kong government has many funds to use, they only spend on the infrastructures, not on citizen's livelihood measures, causing the lower-class people struggling to live.

#PublicFunds #CarrieLam #PaulChan #GoHKgraphic
US media: #BGI and the People’s Liberation Army collaborate to collect DNA data

Source: The Stand News #Jan30

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US media: #BGI and the People’s Liberation Army collaborate to collect DNA data

According to reports of The Reuters and current affairs program "60 Minutes" of CBS, BGI Group – the world’s largest biotechnology company, is ties to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), including working with PLA supercomputer experts on research that range from respiratory pathogens to brain science. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, BGI sells millions of COVID-19 test kits in Europe, America, and Australia. US security officials have warned American labs against using Chinese test kids, concerning China on gathering foreign genetic data for its own research, though BGI strongly denied.

By searching over 40 publicly available documents and research papers in Chinese and English, the Reuters showed the links between BGI Group and PLA are closer than previously understood, reflecting how China integrates private technology companies into military-related research under President Xi Jinping.

Source: The Stand News #Jan30

https://bit.ly/3rGBGVj

#China #CBS #Reuters #Biotechnology #BGIGroup #COVID19 #WuhanVirus #Military #60Minutes #PLA
#Breaking #Mainlandization #1C1S
Public Broadcaster in Hong Kong Follows China's Decision to Lift #BBC

Recently, the British authorities cancelled the licence of the Chinese Communist Party-funded English channel #CGTN in the United Kingdom.

On the early morning of Feb 12, 2021, Beijing responded by accusing BBC of "serious content violations" and banning BBC World News in "Chinese territory".

Two Reuters journalists in China said the channel had gone blank on their screens. Although it was said that BBC would remain available in Hong Kong, the public broadcaster #RTHK in Hong Kong announced on the same day that BBC World News would be lifted from their program from 11pm onwards that day, due to the decision of the broadcasting regulator in Beijing.

Source: RTHK #Feb12
https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1575376-20210212.htm

#UK #CCPControl #Regime #Retaliation #Censorship
#NeverGiveUp #FightForFreedom
Protest Scenes in Myanmar Recall the Fight for Freedom in Hong Kong and Thailand

Source: Stand News #Feb10
Photos: STR/AFP via Getty Images

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https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/28588