#OpinionArticle #WhiteTerror
Barrister Lawrence Lau: "Collective Punishment: We All Could Be Jimmy Lai"

//The day has finally come. Next Digital's Jimmy Lai was arrested for "colluding with foreign powers" - if he hadn't broken any laws before, they have now made one up for him. Ever since the National Security Law was passed on July 1, Lai was asked again and again whether he would leave the city. Again and again he said no; he would walk with Hongkongers, because Hong Kong is his home.

In this new age of One Country One System, what does "colluding with foreign powers" even include? Holding a conference with foreign academics? Using American eggs in your restaurant? There are no clear answers. What counts as "colluding with foreign powers" is entirely up to those up there, and them alone; it's collusion if they say so. This is the absurdity of the National Security Law: it runs completely contrary to what the modern world expects from the rule of law, that is, the letters of the law must clearly spell out its intents and requirements to the public, so that people can take care not to break it.

Two hundred Blue Berets marching into Apple Daily's offices seemed like a scene straight out of history movies, from Korea's Gwangju Uprising 40 years ago. In 1980, the military government stormed into a newspaper office and made indiscriminate arrests, trying to silence the news of their violent crackdown on the city. After the gunfire ceased, the government thought they had finally secured Gwangju for themselves; what they never imagined was that it spurred thousands of angry citizens onto the streets, ultimately leading to the democratization of Korea.

40 years later, we live in an age where information flows hundreds of times faster than in Gwangju, yet this totalitarian government is still trying to crack down on press freedom and stifle information flow in an attempt to keep us from the truth. Either they are stupid, or they no longer fear the consequences of their actions! If that is the case, then neither should they fear international sanctions. The treacherous acts of the Hong Kong Communists and evil police force have long been in plain sight of the international community. Government officials would be wise start buying plane tickets for their children studying abroad; just like Carrie Lam's son, they better hurry back to Hong Kong, and bask in the glory of China's Greater Bay Area - for the rest of their lives!//

Source: Lawrence Lau Wai-chung's Facebook #Aug10
#NationalSecurityLaw #FreedomOfPress #PoliticalOppression #JimmyLai #AppleDaily #NextMedia #Gwangju #Korea
#LawrenceLau

#FirstHand #Mar5 #47Democrats
4 Pro-democracy Activists Granted Bail while Hearing Will Go On for the 5th Day

19:43 | West Kowloon Magistrates' Court

Pro-democracy lawyer and distre #LawrenceLau Wai-Chung was the first defendant coming out of the court upon bail. He was among the 4 who were granted bail, only when the Department of Justice dropped the appeal.

He thanked the reporters for covering the hearing and waiting outside the court day and night since March, 1, 2021.

Lau said he was lucky as he could be released on bail. 43 out of 47 pro-democracy activists were still detained, as their bail applications were either rejected or pending.

For that reason, Lau said he couldn’t share too much for the time being. He thanked everyone again for following up their case--the 47 pro-democracy activists who were charged with "conspiracy to subverting state powers" for participating in the primary elections within the pro-democracy camp in July 2020.

#Court #Regime #PoliceState #47Democrats #PrimaryElections

#Court #47Democrats #PoliticalSuppression
A Journalist's Account: Lengthy Court Hearings Bring 47 Pro-democracy Activists to Exhaustion

[Editor's note: The Hong Kong authorities arrested and charged 47 pro-democracy with #NationalSecurityLaw violations for their participation in the primary election of the democratic camp in 2020. The trial began in the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts on March 1, 2021.

The following is a reflective account written by Hong Kong journalist Cheung Hoi-kit.]

Part 1:
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/29388

Continue with Part 2 below:

Among the 47 pro-democracy activists charged, legal scholar Benny Tai has believed in the Hong Kong Basic Law for all his life. He did not say much in court on these consecutive days.

Since the trial could not be done on the first day, he needed to attend two court hearings in the following days. They were an appeal case concerning the Occupy Central with Love and Peace (#OCLP) in 2014 and the bail trial for the primary election. Even the chief magistrate Victor So claimed to see Tai's fatigue.

Laywer Lawrence Lau has helped the pro-democracy protester Tong Ying-Kit, who was the first Hongkongers to be charged with National Security violations. However, this time Lau himself is also one of the defendants being charged with "conspiracy to subvert state powers".

Lau chose to defend himself. He said he had never expected himself to breach the law. The statement was simple and straight-forward.

Former Stand News reporter Gwyneth Ho was cheerful as usual. She was heard humming a Cantonese pop song "So I say I love you" on the first day of the trial.

Former legislator Lam Cheuk-Ting told his wife, "I love you".

However, after days of trial, several defendents started to ger unwell. The atmosphere in the court also changed significantly. For three days and nights, the defendants were even not given a chance to take a shower or change their clothes.

Source: HK Citizens News #Mar14

https://www.hkcnews.com/article/39218/47%E4%BA%BA%E5%88%9D%E9%81%B8%E6%A1%88-%E6%B0%91%E4%B8%BB%E6%B4%BE%E5%88%9D%E9%81%B8-%E5%88%9D%E9%81%B8%E5%A4%A7%E8%B5%B7%E8%A8%B4-39218/%E3%80%90%E6%8E%A1%E8%A8%AA%E6%89%8B%E8%A8%98%E3%80%9147%E4%BA%BA%E6%A1%88%E5%9B%9B%E6%97%A5%E5%9B%9B%E5%A4%9C%E3%80%8C%E5%8F%B2%E8%A9%A9%E5%BC%8F%E6%8F%90%E5%A0%82%E3%80%8D%E7%9A%84%E4%B8%80%E4%BA%9B%E5%82%99%E5%BF%98

#PoliceState #BemnyTai #LawrenceLau #GwynethHo #LamCheukTing

#Reflection #PoliticalPrisoners