Can’t wait to see the govt reaction to this one. They are still in shock after the HK anthem decision
Japan Times reports
A Hong Kong court on Monday overturned one of two convictions for seven top democracy activists including media mogul Jimmy Lai over an unauthorized protest in 2019, a narrow victory for the city’s beleaguered opposition.
The Court of Appeal said in a written ruling that there was no evidence the defendants played any role in planning, organizing or issuing any instructions either before or during the march.
Judges Andrew Macrae, Maggie Poon and Anthea Pang let stand an earlier court’s verdict that the seven had participated in the peaceful demonstration at the height of the city’s unrest.
Their decision means that four defendants have their sentences from the organizing conviction scrapped. The other three had received suspended terms.
The case involving the seven, including Martin Lee, leader of the pro-democracy camp during the former British colony’s transition to Chinese rule, was part of a series of major legal setbacks that Hong Kong’s pro-democracy camp has suffered.
The group comprised veteran activists who have for years supported causes such as human and women’s rights, and organized vigils commemorating the 1989 crackdown on student demonstrators in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square.
Critics of the government’s case say the defendants were singled out among more than 1 million people who attended the protest as part of a broader effort to curtail opposition efforts.
read more
