📡Guardians of Hong Kong
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We provide translation of news in English from local media and other sources, for academic use.
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#Court
8 Pro-democracy Hongkongers jailed for 4.5 months to 14 months for inciting June 4 rallies

The Hong Kong police banned the June 4 rally in Victoria Park in 2020 on the grounds of pandemic prevention, and a number of members of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China (HKASPDMC; the Alliance) and pan-democrats were later charged with inciting, holding and participating in an unauthorised rally.

Among them, five pleaded guilty before the trial, while three pleaded not guilty and were convicted after the trial, and were jailed for four months and two weeks to 14 months on 13 December, 2021.

#TonyeeChow Hang-tung made her own plea, stressing that the collapse of political space struck a harder blow to Hongkongers than the epidemic, and that the court dismissed the political suppression of Hongkongers in the name of epidemic prevention.

#JimmyLai Chee-ying also wrote a letter of plea, saying, “If commemorating those who died because of injustice is a crime, then inflict on me that crime and let me suffer the punishment of this crime”.

However, Judge Amanda Jane Woodcock criticised the defendants for ignoring the risks posed by the pandemic and for their arrogance and misconception of believing that the right to assembly was more important than safeguarding public health.

Among them, Lee Cheuk-yan, Richard Tsoi Yiu-cheong and Leung Yiu-chung, who committed the offences while on bail then, had their sentences were increased by three months.

Lee Cheuk-yan, who had a leading role in inciting, organising and participating in the rally, received the heaviest sentence of 14 months. For incitement and participation, Richard Tsoi, Leung Yiu-chung and Leung Kam-wai were sentenced to 12 months, 9 months and 9 months of imprisonment respectively. Wu Chi-wai was sentenced to four months and two weeks of imprisonment for his participation.

Of the three who pleaded not guilty, Jimmy Lai was sentenced to an additional three months for offences committed while on bail, totaling out to 13 months in imprisonment for incitement. Tonyee Chow was sentenced to 12 months of imprisonment for incitement and participation, while Gwyneth Ho Kwai-lam was sentenced to six months of imprisonment for participating.

Lee Cheuk-yan and Jimmy Lai’s sentences were to be served concurrently with the other assembly cases and no additional prison time was required, leaving the total sentence for all cases at 20 months for the time being.

Source: HK Citizens' News #Jan13

https://bit.ly/3A6Xj6n

#June4 #Massacre #Vigil #PoliticalProsecution
French study warns of the massive scale of Chinese influence around the world

The 650-page report, entitled "Chinese influence operations - a Machiavelli moment" digs through the layers of secret and not-so-secret institutions, actions and designs used by Beijing to manipulate western opinion.

Written by Paul Cheron, an intelligence expert and Chinese specialist with credentials from Harvard and China's most prestigeous university Qinghua, in partnership with political scientist Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer, a security specialist, the report is probably the most extensive analysis of China's propaganda machine ever published in French. 

The report argues that for a long time China wanted  more to be loved than feared, she wanted to seduce, projecting a positive image of herself in the world and so arousing admiration. Recently China has increasingly shown another side.

Source: RFI #Sep22

https://bit.ly/3JPxPix

#French #China #PaulCheron #Propaganda
#CCP
Crackdown on Stand News is China's First Step in Controlling the World's Narrative, says Former #NextDigital Director

Source: VOA Chinese #Dec30

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#CCP
Crackdown on Stand News is China's First Step in Controlling the World's Narrative, says Former #NextDigital Director

The day after Stand News was forced to shut down by Hong Kong Police, Hong Kong Democracy Council (#HKDC) held a rapid response virtual briefing on December 30, 2021, in which the speakers urged the international community to closely monitor the developing situation.

Not only is freedom of press under attack in Hong Kong, they said, the incident also signifies important future challenges, such as the possibility of China manipulating the world in the future.

The invited speakers were #ThomasKellogg, executive director of the Center for Asian Law at Georgetown University; and #MarkClifford, former independent non-executive director of Next Digital.

As a former director of Next Media, Clifford saw firsthand the government's oppression against Apple Daily, which began even before the National Security Law (#NSL) took effect on June 30, 2020. The crackdown against Stand News had been rumored to be coming for some time; even so, when it finally became reality, Clifford felt it deeply.

"What's happening at Stand News is tragic," Clifford said, "Perhaps not a complete surprise, because we have seen what happened at Apple Daily. It's extraordinary when you're on the other end of state power - unchecked state power. In a city like Hong Kong, it's hard to believe."

The arrests and forced closure of Stand News happened soon after the conclusion of the legislative elections. Hong Kong Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang had twice written to the Wall Street Journal to criticize their reporting of the Hong Kong Elections, even calling its editorials "sickening".

Clifford said that this had not been a coincidence; rather, it reflects the Chinese Communist Party's ambitions to control the world's narrative.

Source: VOA Chinese #Dec30
https://www.voachinese.com/a/experts-analysis-on-hong-kong-standard-news-forced-closure-20211230/6376727.html

Video of the HKDC Rapid Response Virtual Briefing:
https://www.facebook.com/hkdc.us/videos/958932114740331/

#StandNewsCrackdown #NationalSecurityLaw #FreedomOfPress #Media #PoliticalProsecution
#PoliceState
Hong Kong Pro-democracy activist arrested again for posting on Facebook while on bail

Source: Inmediahk; #Jan12

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#PoliceState
Hong Kong Pro-democracy activist arrested again for posting on Facebook while on bail

#OwenChow Ka-sing, on bail pending his subversion trial, was arrested when he reported back to Police Station on January 12, 2022.

Chow was told he had violated the bail conditions for making a remark on his Facebook regarding the Legislative Council election took place in December in Hong Kong.

On December 19, 2021 (the day set for the Legislative Council election in Hong Kong), Chow shared two quotes on his Facebook page.

The first one came from #ChrisTang, the Secretary for Security which stated "there could be local lone-wolf terrorist attack on election day".

The other one was from a police hotline operator, "If you are frightened, stay home." The quote was captured on July 21, 2019 when hundreds of citizens called police station in Yuen Long for their assistance when pro-democracy protesters were brutally attacked by white-clad local gangsters.

Along with these two quotes, Chow made a small remark that read, "you told me to stay home when being frightened."

Owen Chow is among the 47 democrats being arrested in January 2021 on suspicion of conspiring to subvert state power for their involvement in a legislative council primary election.

Chow was granted bail in June 2021.

Source: Inmediahk; #Jan12
https://bit.ly/3ti1bA3

#Arrest #SocialMedia #LegCoElection #YuenLong721 #StayHome
A Goodbye Letter to Hongkongers by “Apple Daily”

Translated by Guardians of Hong Kong, July 12, 2021January 05, 2022

For the readers and Hongkongers, you encouraged and supported Apple over the past week, asking us to “Persist!” and saying “Hong Kong cannot carry on without Apple!” Here, I apologize for not living up to your expectations. I wish you all safe and well throughout your lives, in the coming days without Apple.

Having too much to say let me tell our story from the start, 26 years ago.

Read the fully translated article here:
https://telegra.ph/A-Goodbye-Letter-to-Hongkongers-by-Apple-Daily-01-04

Source: The Stand News #Jun24

#Goodbye #Letter #Hongkongers #AppleDaily
#Solidarity
Over 1,000 HongKongers in #UK protest against Hong Kong government’s suppression over the city’s press freedom

Source: HarbourofFreedom; #Jan15

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Over 1,000 HongKongers in UK protest against Hong Kong government’s suppression over the city’s press freedom

In the afternoon of January 15, 2022, a group of over 1,000 Hongkongers rallied from Piccadilly Circus to the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London, reprimanding Hong Kong authorities’ repeated crackdowns over media operations in Hong Kong.

Among them, hundreds also took part in a letter campaign, in which they pitched their protest notes in the Trade office’s letter box to disapprove the disappearing press freedom in Hong Kong.

The rally and the letter campaign were organized by the Good Neighbour Church England in response to the closing of Stand News in December 2021 when several staff members and Directors of the pro-democracy online media were arrested by the National Security police on suspicion of conspiring to publish seditious materials and their office being raided. Two weeks after its closure, at least 8 more online media ceased operation, all citing white terror and national security threat as concerns.

Several community groups representing Hongkongers in UK also supported the protest. They include KongAid, Hongkongers in Britain, Britons in HongKong, Justitia Hong Kong, LIBERKONG and Sutton HongKongers Group.

Source: HarbourofFreedom; #Jan15

#Hongkongers #Diaspora #OverseasHKgers
#Court
Facing 38 to 40 months in jail, Pro-democracy citizen: I am "honored to be born a Hongkonger"

Source: InMediaHK #Jan15

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#Court
Facing 38 to 40 months in jail, Pro-democracy citizen: I am "honored to be born a Hongkonger"

On January 15, 2022, the District Court in Hong Kong sentenced seven pro-democracy citizens to up to three years and four months in jail. In the same case, two citizens who are under 20 years old are sent to an education center.

All of them were arrested on the street of Kowloon on November 18, 2019, and were convicted of "rioting" near the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (#PolyU) in November 2019. During the police siege of the university campus, thousands of pro-democracy Hongkongers tried to help the entrapped protesters, students, and civilians to escape.

During the trial, the defence counsel recited a letter written by one of the defendants, 24-year-old Tang Kam-Lok. In his letter, Tang cited the French-Algerian author and 1958 Nobel Prize laureate Albert Camus:

"Each generation doubtless feels called upon to reform the world. Mine knows that it will not reform it, but its task is perhaps even greater. It consists in preventing the world from destroying itself."

Tam expressed his belonging to Hong Kong and realised how special Hong Kong was during his studies in the UK. Tam said he is "honored to be born a Hongkonger" and hopes to return "like a phoenix".

After the sentence, families and friends shout in the direction of the defendents, "hang on!" "love you!"

Source: InMediaHK.Net #Jan15
https://bit.ly/3qqOrFA

#Conscience #NeverForget #Phoenix #AlbertCamus #Hongkonger #PolyUSiege
Reuters: China puts pressure multinational firms to break ties with Lithuania or be driven out of China market

Source: StandNews #Dec10

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Reuters: China puts pressure multinational firms to break ties with Lithuania or be driven out of China market

The relationship between China and Lithuania is still poor. Chinese customs recently removed Lithuania from its list of "countries of origin", making it impossible for Lithuanian goods to enter China, and Lithuania's foreign minister asked the European Union to intervene with China.

The Reuters news agency on Thursday (9 December) quoted Lithuania's deputy foreign minister and representatives of local industry that China had asked a number of multinational companies to cut ties with Lithuania or else drive them out of the Chinese market.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin responded on Thursday that he did not understand the situation reported by Reuters, but stressed that China has always acted in accordance with WTO rules, criticizing "Lithuania's betrayal of trust and justice, blatantly violating the political promises made to China when the two countries established diplomatic relations, creating ‘one China, one Taiwan’ in the world and seriously undermining China's sovereignty and territorial integrity", and that China is determined to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Reuters quoted Lithuanian Deputy Foreign Minister Mantas Adomėnas as saying that China is putting pressure on multinational companies, saying that if they use Lithuanian-made components and goods, they can no longer sell in the Chinese market or get supplies in China, and some companies have already cancelled contracts with Lithuanian suppliers.

Source: StandNews #Dec10

#Reuters #Lithuania #ChinaLithuaniaRelation #EU #ChineseCustoms #Lithuaniangoods #ChineseForeignMinistry #WangWenbin #LithuanianForeignMinistry #MantasAdomėnas
Activist Edward Leung to be Released from Prison After 6-Year Sentence; Family Asks Hongkongers to Consider Personal Safety

Source: InMediaHK #Jan18

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https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/31931
Activist Edward Leung to be Released from Prison After 6-Year Sentence; Family Asks Hongkongers to Consider Personal Safety

Pro-democracy activist and former spokeperson of #HongKongIndigenous #EdwardLeung Tin-kei will be released from jail on January 19, 2022. He is expected to leave #ShekPikPrison on Lantau Island in the morning.

On January 18, 2022, Leung's family announced on his Facebook page that "there is no need to travel a long way to Shek Pik"; they "hope to soon reunite with Edward"; and fellow Hongkongers should "consider their personal safety first." In order to better protect Leung, his family decided to shut down his Facebook page by midnight of January 19, 2022.

Before being jailed, Leung joined Hong Kong Indigenous, a political group founded by #RoyYeung, in 2015. In February 2016, Leung won 66,000 votes in the New Territories East By-election. His campaign slogan was "Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution of Our Times." The government disqualified his candidiacy in the Legislative Election in the same year.

In June 2018, he was convicted of assaulting an officer and rioting in the 2016 #FishballRevolution, and was sentenced to 6 years in jail.

During the 2019 #AntiELAB movement, Leung sent an open letter to #Hongkongers from the prison, telling his fellow citizens "not to be overtaken by hatred; and to stay alert and continue to think during difficult times".

Leung has been relocated to Cat. A in the prison and placed in isolated cell since last year.

Source: InMediaHK #Jan18
https://bit.ly/33LBsFn

#Release #PoliticalPrisoner