Cardinal Joseph Zen went on trial Monday over a now-dissolved activists’ fund in one of Hong Kong’s highest-profile cases against a pro-democracy figure.
The 90-year-old, among the most senior Catholic clerics in Asia, has for decades been a prominent critic of China’s human rights record and backed protesters as Hong Kong was engulfed in anti-government demonstrations in 2019 that led to a Beijing-imposed national security law the following year.
Zen, who was ordained in 1961 and named Hong Kong’s sixth bishop in 2002, is widely revered for being outspoken on human rights issues and political freedom. A steadfast supporter of democratic reform in Hong Kong, Zen was named a cardinal in 2006, the second-highest rank among Catholic clergy below the pope.
Born in Shanghai to Catholic parents in 1932, the teenage Zen fled to Hong Kong as the Chinese Communist Party took control of the country. He later joined the Catholic Salesians congregation.
Read more at https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Hong-Kong-security-law/Hong-Kong-s-Cardinal-Zen-goes-on-trial-over-protest-fund
