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#Court #PoliticalProsecution
HK Court Denies Bail for 36 in
#47Activists Case, Assigned Judge: "Five Demands" Endander #NationalSecurity

Among the 47 pro-democracy activists facing allegations of “conspiracy to commit subversion” in connection with a legislative primary election in Hong Kong in 2020, 36 of them have been denied bail.

'#LongHair' Leung Kwok-hung and Jimmy Sham Tsz-kit, who are the vice-chairmen of the League of Social Democrats, were among the 36 who were denied bail.

Both of them applied for bail at Hong Kong's High Court earlier, but Judge Esther Toh Lye-ping , the designated judge of the #NationalSecurityLaw, refused to grant them bail and ordered to hold them back in custody.

The senior counsel Hectar Pun representing Leung and Sham pointed out that they have never advocated "Hong Kong independence", colluded with foreign forces or requested sanctions against the Chinese and Hong Kong governments, nor did they sign the "No Regrets" online statement.

Pun also said that Leung's local ties are strong, he has recently gotten married and is suffering from coronary heart disease, so the risk of absconding is low.

Moreover, Sham has always been active in the local #LGBT community, he married his partner who is also a Hong Kong resident in 2013, so Sham has no interest in leaving Hong Kong.

The judge issued her reasons on May 13, 2021, claiming there was no good reason to believe the two would not continue to act against national security.

The judge cited that the Department of Justice's arguments against bail, saying that Sham still stated he would continue to fight for the "#FiveDemands", in front of the police station upon his arrival on Feb 28, 2021. This indicated that there was no reason to believe he would not continue to endanger national security.

Source: InMedia #May13
https://bit.ly/3bqpwdh

#47Democrats #JimmySham #LeungKwokHung #Bail #PoliceState
#FirstHand #May31
Hongkongers Voice Support for Pro-democracy Activists Charged with National Security Law

Photos: https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/29846

On May 31, 2021, 47 pro-democracy activists and former legislators appeared in the the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts.

Many Hongkongers went to the court to show their support to the pro-democracy activists. Despite the hot weather, a huge crowd queued up, hoping to get a seat to look at the trial in thd public gallery of the court house.

Some of them chanted slogans of encouragement and signed “five demands, not one less” outside the court. The police cordoned off the area and monitored the crowd closely.

The case of the 47 pro-democracy activists marks one of the largest crackdowns on civil society by the Hong Kong authorities. They were arrested in January 2021 for breaching the national security law that was imposed by Beijing on Hong Kong since June 2020. The authorities' accusation was based on their participation a primary election among the democratic camp in July 2020.

#Save47 #Court #Solidarity #NeverGiveUp #HongKongProtests #PoliceState #Crackdown #47Democrats #PoliticalPrisoners #PoliticalProsecution
#FirstHand #May31
Hong Kong Court Refuses to Answer Whether Jury Trial Would Take Place for #47Democrats

On May 31, 2021, the 47 Hong Kong pro-democracy advocates charged with national security breaches appeared at the West Kowloon Magistracy.

The prosecution demanded the case to be transferred to the High Court, which could impose penalties of up to life imprisonment.

The counsel – representing 'Long Hair' Leung Kwok-hung, Jimmy Sham and Lester Shum – asked the court whether a jury trial would take place. However, the Chief Magistrate Victor So did not give any answer.

Out of the 47 defendants, only 11 were previously granted bail. They showed up at the hearing to support the other 36 who have been detained for more than 90 days.

#Save47 #Court #Solidarity #NeverGiveUp #HongKongProtests #PoliceState #Crackdown #47Democrats #PoliticalPrisoners #PoliticalProsecution

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Hongkongers Voice Support for Pro-democracy Activists Charged with National Security Law

https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/
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#FirstHand #May31
Ex-Lawmaker #EmilyLau Calls Out Unfairness in NSL Trial Procedures, As Hundreds Gather Outside 47 Democrats' Court Hearing

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⬇️⬇️⬇️
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/29879
#FirstHand #May31
Ex-Lawmaker #EmilyLau Calls Out Unfairness in NSL Trial Procedures, As Hundreds Gather Outside 47 Democrats' Court Hearing

Video: https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/29878

Former Democratic Party chairperson Emily Lau was among the large crowds of Hongkongers who turned out on Monday, May 31, 2021, in support of the #47Democrats, who appeared in court at the West Kowloon Magistracy,

"I'm not a lawyer," Lau said, "but I think that if they haven't finished investigations -- and it could go on for who knows how many more months, how many more years -- then finish it first, and let the people go! Why keep them all locked up?"

"This is not how things used to work in Hong Kong." said Lau, who had been involved in politics since the first direct election of LegCo in 1991. "That's why you see so many people coming out today. Everybody is incensed."

"You have to be more fair," Lau continued.

"Others have also said the same thing: free the people first, then they can take as long as they want with the investigations. But no, they haven't gathered enough evidence, they said; they needed to investigate carefully, they said."

"It's handled so badly! How could they do this?"

The case is adjourned until July 8, 2021, when the 47 Democrats will appear in court again. The 36 defendants who had not been granted bail continue to be held in custody.

#Court #NationalSecurityLaw
#PoliticalProsecution #PoliceState #Save47 #Interview #Video

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Related Stories:

Hong Kong Court Refuses to Answer Whether Jury Trial Would Take Place for #47Democrats

https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/29857

Hongkongers Voice Support for Pro-democracy Activists Charged with National Security Law
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/29846
#Save47 #Court
After One Year of Detention, Prosecution Documents Are Still Not Ready

As of November 2021, most of the "47 democrats" in Hong Kong have been detained for 8 months after being arrested for "conspiring to subvert state power" under the #NationalSecurityLaw (#NSL). They were charged over the #PrimaryElection which was held on July 11 and 12, 2020.

On November 29, 2021, a trial took place at the West-Kowloon Magistrates' Court in Hong Kong.

The defence informed the magistrate about their intention of confessing their accusation.

One of the defendants told the magistrate #LawTakChuenPeter that he has dismissed his legal aid counsel and would defend himself. He also made a complaint about the prosecutor who failed to provide him with the relevant documents about his case.

During the trial, most of the time was spent in reporting the progress of translation and document verification. Likewise, most debates are about the document preparation progress of the prosecution and the time they have spent, considering that the defendants have been detained for nearly one year.

After the tug-of-war between the defence and the prosecution, the magistrate asked the Chief Prosecutor #LoTinWaiAndy to set up a timeline and submit their documents accordingly.

The court proposed the next trial date, Feb 8, 2022, for some defendants tentatively. However, the timetable of tge prosecutor was yet to be confirmed.

In the next hour in court, the defence and the prosecution had disputes over the time when documents related to "summary of facts" and the "allegations" would be completed. They both had a different timeframe in mind.

While some defendants would be mentioned Feb 8, 2022, all of them will be presented in court in March 4, 2022. This means the democrats would have been detained for more than a year when the next trial takes place.

Source: You are not alone Telegram Channel #Nov29

https://t.me/youarenotalonehk_live/18823

Image: Stand News
https://thestandnews.page.link/HrCv1WBSzAsT6nw99

#Regime #FailedState #Judiciary #Arrest #47Democrats