#Court
Another 20 Hong Kong youngsters convicted of rioting near #ChinaLiaisonOffice during 2019 #AntiELAB Movement

During the Anti-ELAB movement, fierce confrontations between pro-democracy civilians and riot police erupted on July 28, 2019 in Shang Wan, Hong Kong near the China Liaison Office.

The intense clash ended with the arrest of 44 pro-democracy civilians. They were charged for rioting. The group were trialed in court in three court cases to be handled by different judges.

Of the 24 protesters charged in the second court cases, only one plead guilty to rioting.

On November 13, 2021, the Hong Kong District Court found 20 out of these 24 defendants guilty of participating in a riot.

In his verdict, the District judge affirmed that the 20 convicted individuals had participated in a riot based on the clothes they wore, the tools in their possession, as well as the time and place of their arrests.

“It can be concluded beyond reasonable doubt that the defendants were participants in a riot, and were not bystanders or people who happened to pass by a protest site.”

Among the 20 convicts, 16 were seen on the protest frontlines in a stand-off against the police. One of the convicted was found guilty of illegal possession of radio apparatus while another was charge of assaulting a police officer who turned out to be the son of former Police Commissioner.

Source: Stand News; #Nov13
https://thestandnews.page.link/AiULTR6zMBkRbXgd7

#PoliticalProsecution #Rioting #PoliceState #July28