#GeoffreyMa #JudicialIndependence
Hong Kong's top judge rebuts, “Duty of judges is strictly to apply the law and nothing else”
Geoffrey Ma, the chief justice of the Court of Final Appeal, issued a rare statement on September 23 to remind the public that any criticism of judges and court decisions must be informed, solidly based and properly made, otherwise it would be detrimental to public confidence in the administration of justice and, ultimately, to the rule of law in the city.
Ma’s statement came amidst heated debates over Hong Kong’s judicial independence, after claims by both the Communist Party and the local government that the city does not exercise separation of powers between the executive, the legislature and the judiciary. The pro-Beijing camp, including media outlets, has also rounded magistrates for supposedly being too lenient with young protesters.
Ma explained to the public that the constitutional duty of judges was “strictly to apply the law and nothing else.”
Judges must be impartial, he said, and when they were not, a number of channels were available: redress by way of an appeal or review, an application for recusal filed by the accused or the prosecution, and the established complaints mechanism of the judiciary.
Notable among other principles were the requirement of a fair trial, the presumption of innocence, the need for the prosecution to prove that an accused committed a crime beyond reasonable doubt before there could be a conviction, and the right to an appeal.
Ma also singled out the topics of bail, sentencing, and appeals and reviews, which had attracted comment and criticism. He said it was important that such comments were informed and understood in the proper context.
“In this respect, the role and responsibilities of the Secretary for Justice (as representing the public interest in the prosecution of crimes) must also be properly understood,” he wrote.
Source: Stand News; Apple Daily #Sept23
#SeperationofPowers #RuleofLaw #ChiefJustice
Hong Kong's top judge rebuts, “Duty of judges is strictly to apply the law and nothing else”
Geoffrey Ma, the chief justice of the Court of Final Appeal, issued a rare statement on September 23 to remind the public that any criticism of judges and court decisions must be informed, solidly based and properly made, otherwise it would be detrimental to public confidence in the administration of justice and, ultimately, to the rule of law in the city.
Ma’s statement came amidst heated debates over Hong Kong’s judicial independence, after claims by both the Communist Party and the local government that the city does not exercise separation of powers between the executive, the legislature and the judiciary. The pro-Beijing camp, including media outlets, has also rounded magistrates for supposedly being too lenient with young protesters.
Ma explained to the public that the constitutional duty of judges was “strictly to apply the law and nothing else.”
Judges must be impartial, he said, and when they were not, a number of channels were available: redress by way of an appeal or review, an application for recusal filed by the accused or the prosecution, and the established complaints mechanism of the judiciary.
Notable among other principles were the requirement of a fair trial, the presumption of innocence, the need for the prosecution to prove that an accused committed a crime beyond reasonable doubt before there could be a conviction, and the right to an appeal.
Ma also singled out the topics of bail, sentencing, and appeals and reviews, which had attracted comment and criticism. He said it was important that such comments were informed and understood in the proper context.
“In this respect, the role and responsibilities of the Secretary for Justice (as representing the public interest in the prosecution of crimes) must also be properly understood,” he wrote.
Source: Stand News; Apple Daily #Sept23
#SeperationofPowers #RuleofLaw #ChiefJustice
#PoliceState
Police Charge 10 Hong Kong students for Forming Human Chain in Support of the Anti-ELAB Movement One Year Later
A year ago on September 7, citizens in Hong Kong built a long human chain around Tai Po Market train station, exhibiting solidarity against and defiance of police brutality, among them, many were students in school uniform.
As riot police stormed onto the scene, fired tear gas, the peaceful crowd of pro-democracy protesters was forced to disperse. More than 20 protesters were arrested during the clash on that day.
A year later, HK police charged 11 of them for attending an illegal assembly. Their age ranges from 15 to 49. 10 of them are students and the remaining one is the father of one of the students.
Sources: Inmedia; Stand News #Sept23
https://www.inmediahk.net/node/1077614
#Students #HumanChain #Injustice #School
=====
Read more about human chain activity in Taipo on 7 Sept 2019 and victims of #PoliceBrutality
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/14349
Police Charge 10 Hong Kong students for Forming Human Chain in Support of the Anti-ELAB Movement One Year Later
A year ago on September 7, citizens in Hong Kong built a long human chain around Tai Po Market train station, exhibiting solidarity against and defiance of police brutality, among them, many were students in school uniform.
As riot police stormed onto the scene, fired tear gas, the peaceful crowd of pro-democracy protesters was forced to disperse. More than 20 protesters were arrested during the clash on that day.
A year later, HK police charged 11 of them for attending an illegal assembly. Their age ranges from 15 to 49. 10 of them are students and the remaining one is the father of one of the students.
Sources: Inmedia; Stand News #Sept23
https://www.inmediahk.net/node/1077614
#Students #HumanChain #Injustice #School
=====
Read more about human chain activity in Taipo on 7 Sept 2019 and victims of #PoliceBrutality
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/14349
#Oppression #WhiteTerror
The Dos and Don'ts: Hong Kong schools Introduce New 'Rules' Under National Security Law
A month into the new school year in Hong Kong when students are gradually resuming on-campus school life, some new "rules” (see image) have already creeped into schools along with the National Security Law which was blatantly imposed in Hong Kong earlier this year in July.
According to these school authorities, these "dos and don'ts" under the National Security Law are:
//Dos
• Learn the National Security Law
• Sing the National Anthem
• Fly the National Flag
• Love China and love HK
Don'ts
• Launch Student’s strike
• Sing “May Glory to Hong Kong”
• Chant protest slogan
• Form human chains
• Distribute political advocacy materials
• Attend political events in school uniform //
Source: Stand News #Sept23
#NationalSecurityLaw #Students #SchoolRules #School
The Dos and Don'ts: Hong Kong schools Introduce New 'Rules' Under National Security Law
A month into the new school year in Hong Kong when students are gradually resuming on-campus school life, some new "rules” (see image) have already creeped into schools along with the National Security Law which was blatantly imposed in Hong Kong earlier this year in July.
According to these school authorities, these "dos and don'ts" under the National Security Law are:
//Dos
• Learn the National Security Law
• Sing the National Anthem
• Fly the National Flag
• Love China and love HK
Don'ts
• Launch Student’s strike
• Sing “May Glory to Hong Kong”
• Chant protest slogan
• Form human chains
• Distribute political advocacy materials
• Attend political events in school uniform //
Source: Stand News #Sept23
#NationalSecurityLaw #Students #SchoolRules #School
#Photography #Art
Photos of Hong Kong Pro-democracy Movement Won Half of the Prizes from “Taiwan Press Photographer Competition 2020”
Prizewinning photographs from the “Taiwan Press Photographer Competition 2020” are displayed at the General Association of Chinese Culture (#GACC) from September 24, 2020 and onwards.
Almost half of 123 award-winning photographs are about the anti-ELAB movement in Hong Kong, reflecting the extraordinary connections between Taiwan and Hong Kong.
With this exhibition, the organiser hopes that visitors can experience the five senses emitted from these photos and feel the concerns they have and the values they defend:
"Time passes, but the photographs capture the moment. The message can be sent to you via photos and stay in your mind. Please don’t forget that people have paid a high cost for freedom."
Source: Stand News #Sept23
Photos of Hong Kong Pro-democracy Movement Won Half of the Prizes from “Taiwan Press Photographer Competition 2020”
Prizewinning photographs from the “Taiwan Press Photographer Competition 2020” are displayed at the General Association of Chinese Culture (#GACC) from September 24, 2020 and onwards.
Almost half of 123 award-winning photographs are about the anti-ELAB movement in Hong Kong, reflecting the extraordinary connections between Taiwan and Hong Kong.
With this exhibition, the organiser hopes that visitors can experience the five senses emitted from these photos and feel the concerns they have and the values they defend:
"Time passes, but the photographs capture the moment. The message can be sent to you via photos and stay in your mind. Please don’t forget that people have paid a high cost for freedom."
Source: Stand News #Sept23
#ChanTongGai
Victim's Parents Call On Murder Suspect to Fulfill his Promise and Surrender to Taiwan Authorities
Source: Stand News #Sept23
Read more
⬇️⬇️⬇️
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/25829
Victim's Parents Call On Murder Suspect to Fulfill his Promise and Surrender to Taiwan Authorities
Source: Stand News #Sept23
Read more
⬇️⬇️⬇️
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/25829
#ChanTongGai
Victim's Parents Call On Murder Suspect to Fulfill his Promise and Surrender to Taiwan Authorities
The murder suspect Chan Tong-gai who killed his pregnant girlfriend, Poon Hiu-wing, on their holiday in Taiwan in February 2018. Chan escaped the island and returned to Hong Kong, where he was arrested for four rounds of money-laundering offences. Since his discharge in October 2019, Chan sought protection from HK Police and resided in a safe house with his mother.
A year after Chan’s discharge from prison, Poon’s parents issued an open letter on September 23 through Stand News. They urged Chan to turn himself in to Taiwan authorities as he promised, stating that Taiwan has set up a “single special window” with Hong Kong from the outset to settle this matter. The parents called on Chan to stand trial in Taiwan and stop “chickening out”.
Reverend Canon Peter Koon Ho-ming, provincial secretary general of the Anglican church in Hong Kong, who has been assisting Chan since his discharge from prison refused to comment on the case, saying he is not Chan’s “spokesperson.”
Editor’s note:
Chan Tong-gai’s case is often cited by the media for ultimately sparking the year-long anti-ELAB movement. In February 2019, the city’s Chief Executive, Carrie Lam took Chan’s case as the rationale for a proposed amendment to the extradition ordinance to establish a mechanism for case-by-case transfers of fugitives, on the order of the Chief Executive, to any jurisdiction with which the city lacks a formal extradition treaty.
Source: Stand News #Sept23
https://bit.ly/3mInFEC
#Justice
Victim's Parents Call On Murder Suspect to Fulfill his Promise and Surrender to Taiwan Authorities
The murder suspect Chan Tong-gai who killed his pregnant girlfriend, Poon Hiu-wing, on their holiday in Taiwan in February 2018. Chan escaped the island and returned to Hong Kong, where he was arrested for four rounds of money-laundering offences. Since his discharge in October 2019, Chan sought protection from HK Police and resided in a safe house with his mother.
A year after Chan’s discharge from prison, Poon’s parents issued an open letter on September 23 through Stand News. They urged Chan to turn himself in to Taiwan authorities as he promised, stating that Taiwan has set up a “single special window” with Hong Kong from the outset to settle this matter. The parents called on Chan to stand trial in Taiwan and stop “chickening out”.
Reverend Canon Peter Koon Ho-ming, provincial secretary general of the Anglican church in Hong Kong, who has been assisting Chan since his discharge from prison refused to comment on the case, saying he is not Chan’s “spokesperson.”
Editor’s note:
Chan Tong-gai’s case is often cited by the media for ultimately sparking the year-long anti-ELAB movement. In February 2019, the city’s Chief Executive, Carrie Lam took Chan’s case as the rationale for a proposed amendment to the extradition ordinance to establish a mechanism for case-by-case transfers of fugitives, on the order of the Chief Executive, to any jurisdiction with which the city lacks a formal extradition treaty.
Source: Stand News #Sept23
https://bit.ly/3mInFEC
#Justice
立場新聞 Stand News
潘曉穎父母向陳同佳發公開信 要求親自回應赴台日期 「為什麼你還要龜縮？」 | 立場新聞
2018 年 2 月涉嫌在台灣殺害潘曉穎的陳同佳，去年 10 月在港因四項洗黑錢罪刑滿出獄後，主動要求警方保護...
#Hongkongers in Britain
//...the Hong Kongers are quite different from other immigrants, including other ethnic Chinese. Many have a distinct legal status and are socially atypical. They live in specific places, which they chose in a novel way. They have created distinctive self-help groups. In just a few months, they have begun to rewrite Britain’s immigrant story.
A survey by Hongkongers in Britain, a self-help group, however, found that the average age of Hong Kong residents intending to come to Britain was 37. More than two-thirds are university-educated, and the majority have children.
Perhaps the most extraordinary thing about the Hong Kongers is the speed with which they have organised themselves. In little more than a year, several well-run groups have sprung up to help migrants settle in and to lobby on their behalf. They have conducted surveys, arranged housing, legal advice and English courses, organised walking tours, testified in Parliament and much more besides.
Sadly, this self-reliance is not a choice, but a necessity. Newly arrived Hong Kongers often fear recently established Chinese community groups that are aligned with the government in Beijing. Jabez Lam, a veteran organiser at the Hackney Chinese Community Service, says that most Hong Kongers who ask him for help will not give their names. They are right to worry about hostility from other Chinese people, he says. He was roughed up in Chinatown after defending pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong.
Hong Kongers’ groups have two ambitions. First, they want migrants to integrate rapidly. Hence the English lessons, an enthusiasm for working with churches and gatherings like the one in Sutton, which brought Hong Kongers together with locals. “If Hong Kongers just get together with Hong Kongers, it doesn’t help—it’s another Chinatown,” explains Mr Choi. The groups stress that the migrants’ values, such as a belief in freedom and democracy, are also British ones.
Second, they want Hong Kongers to think of themselves as a community in exile. “Hong Kong is not only a place any more. It’s a diaspora, sharing values,” says Simon Cheng of Hongkongers in Britain. However comfortable and integrated they become, he thinks, Hong Kongers must remember why they had to flee. //
Read the full article:
https://www.economist.com/britain/2021/09/23/britains-newest-immigrant-group-is-unlike-any-that-came-before
Source: The Economist #Sept23
#Immigrant #BNO #Exile #Diaspora #MigrationWave #UK
//...the Hong Kongers are quite different from other immigrants, including other ethnic Chinese. Many have a distinct legal status and are socially atypical. They live in specific places, which they chose in a novel way. They have created distinctive self-help groups. In just a few months, they have begun to rewrite Britain’s immigrant story.
A survey by Hongkongers in Britain, a self-help group, however, found that the average age of Hong Kong residents intending to come to Britain was 37. More than two-thirds are university-educated, and the majority have children.
Perhaps the most extraordinary thing about the Hong Kongers is the speed with which they have organised themselves. In little more than a year, several well-run groups have sprung up to help migrants settle in and to lobby on their behalf. They have conducted surveys, arranged housing, legal advice and English courses, organised walking tours, testified in Parliament and much more besides.
Sadly, this self-reliance is not a choice, but a necessity. Newly arrived Hong Kongers often fear recently established Chinese community groups that are aligned with the government in Beijing. Jabez Lam, a veteran organiser at the Hackney Chinese Community Service, says that most Hong Kongers who ask him for help will not give their names. They are right to worry about hostility from other Chinese people, he says. He was roughed up in Chinatown after defending pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong.
Hong Kongers’ groups have two ambitions. First, they want migrants to integrate rapidly. Hence the English lessons, an enthusiasm for working with churches and gatherings like the one in Sutton, which brought Hong Kongers together with locals. “If Hong Kongers just get together with Hong Kongers, it doesn’t help—it’s another Chinatown,” explains Mr Choi. The groups stress that the migrants’ values, such as a belief in freedom and democracy, are also British ones.
Second, they want Hong Kongers to think of themselves as a community in exile. “Hong Kong is not only a place any more. It’s a diaspora, sharing values,” says Simon Cheng of Hongkongers in Britain. However comfortable and integrated they become, he thinks, Hong Kongers must remember why they had to flee. //
Read the full article:
https://www.economist.com/britain/2021/09/23/britains-newest-immigrant-group-is-unlike-any-that-came-before
Source: The Economist #Sept23
#Immigrant #BNO #Exile #Diaspora #MigrationWave #UK
The Economist
Britain’s newest immigrant group is unlike any that came before
The Hong Kongers are older and more influenced by YouTube
#Perseverence
Arrested Pro-democracy Activist #ChowHangTung opposes Hong Kong Alliance’s disbandment: "I would choose not to lose, not to forget, not to give up, and to persevere until the last moment.”
Source: Stand News #Sept23
Read more
⬇️⬇️⬇️
Arrested Pro-democracy Activist #ChowHangTung opposes Hong Kong Alliance’s disbandment: "I would choose not to lose, not to forget, not to give up, and to persevere until the last moment.”
Source: Stand News #Sept23
Read more
⬇️⬇️⬇️
#Perseverence
Arrested Pro-democracy Activist #ChowHangTung opposes Hong Kong Alliance’s disbandment: "I would choose not to lose, not to forget, not to give up, and to persevere until the last moment.”
Lee Cheuk-yan and Albert Ho Chun-yan, chairman and former vice-chairman of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, who are currently detained, issued a joint open letter on September 17, 2021, stating that the best solution for the pro-democracy Alliance is to disband.
[Editor's note: After a special meeting on September 25, 2021, the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China passed a motion to dissolve.
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/31135]
The Alliance had been the organizer of the annual June 4 Tiananmen Massacre Candlelight Vigil in Hong Kong's #VictoriaPark since 1990.
On September 23, 2021, an "Open Letter from Chow Hang-Tung to Hong Kong Alliance (before and after)" was published on Chow's personal Facebook page, stating that she cannot see the act of disbanding any help in continuing the Alliance's philosophy.
"Please oppose the dissolution motion and give the Alliance a chance to continue," Chow expressed despite being arrested and detained.
Chow, a barrister by profession, also pointed out, "The regime has chosen to annihilate us all, so we have to choose whether to persist until the end or to bail out before it’s too late. On this choice, I would choose not to lose, not to forget, not to give up, and to persevere until the last moment.”
Source: Stand News #Sept23
https://thestandnews.page.link/bEjeeCGyLUq7i5Zt8
#TonyeeChow #Disband #HKASPDMC #Alliance #NationalSecurityLaw #Unafraid #OpenLetter #Courage
Arrested Pro-democracy Activist #ChowHangTung opposes Hong Kong Alliance’s disbandment: "I would choose not to lose, not to forget, not to give up, and to persevere until the last moment.”
Lee Cheuk-yan and Albert Ho Chun-yan, chairman and former vice-chairman of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, who are currently detained, issued a joint open letter on September 17, 2021, stating that the best solution for the pro-democracy Alliance is to disband.
[Editor's note: After a special meeting on September 25, 2021, the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China passed a motion to dissolve.
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/31135]
The Alliance had been the organizer of the annual June 4 Tiananmen Massacre Candlelight Vigil in Hong Kong's #VictoriaPark since 1990.
On September 23, 2021, an "Open Letter from Chow Hang-Tung to Hong Kong Alliance (before and after)" was published on Chow's personal Facebook page, stating that she cannot see the act of disbanding any help in continuing the Alliance's philosophy.
"Please oppose the dissolution motion and give the Alliance a chance to continue," Chow expressed despite being arrested and detained.
Chow, a barrister by profession, also pointed out, "The regime has chosen to annihilate us all, so we have to choose whether to persist until the end or to bail out before it’s too late. On this choice, I would choose not to lose, not to forget, not to give up, and to persevere until the last moment.”
Source: Stand News #Sept23
https://thestandnews.page.link/bEjeeCGyLUq7i5Zt8
#TonyeeChow #Disband #HKASPDMC #Alliance #NationalSecurityLaw #Unafraid #OpenLetter #Courage
Telegram
📡Guardians of Hong Kong
June 4th Vigil Organizer Disbanded after 32 Years
After a special meeting on September 25, 2021, the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China passed a motion to dissolve. The voting took place at the now-shut-down June 4th…
After a special meeting on September 25, 2021, the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China passed a motion to dissolve. The voting took place at the now-shut-down June 4th…