HONG KONG – A Chinese court sentenced 10 Hong Kong activists who were found fleeing the city on a speedboat in a case that has drawn international attention and sparked the city’s opposition.
The convicted activists belonged to a group that has come to be known as “Hong Kong 12.” The cases have become a focus of a pro-democracy movement hampered by pandemic restrictions, keeping protesters off the streets and a new law imposed by Beijing that allows authorities to prosecute people accused of a threat to national security.
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“They lacked proper legal representation, were held in secret for months and the verdict was handed down after a secret trial.”
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Families and pro-democracy activists have criticized the detention of the 12 on the mainland since the Chinese Coast Guard intercepted a speedboat to Taiwan in late August. Families and lawyers they have hired to represent the activists are not allowed to contact them. The defendants were appointed as mainland lawyers and their trial took place behind closed doors this week.
“They had no proper legal representation, were held in secret for months and the verdict was handed down after a secret trial,” said Eddie Chu, a pro-democracy politician who worked with the families of 12. “The whole legal process is a joke. , but with dire consequences – we don’t even know how to appeal the sentence. “
The US called for the release of the activists earlier this week. Foreign diplomats tried to attend the trial but were not allowed in.
Two of the 10 convicted activists – Tang Kai-yin, 31 and Quinn Moon, 33 – were convicted of organizing the attempted escape and given terms of three and two years, respectively, the court said. Mr. Tang was also fined 20,000 yuan, the equivalent of approximately $ 3,000, and Ms. Moon was fined 15,000 yuan.
China has passed a national security law for Hong Kong that aims to quell protests against the government after a year of unrest. WSJ’s Josh Chin explains why some countries have criticized the law and why critics say it could threaten the city’s status as a global financial center. Photo: May James / Zuma Press
The other eight were sentenced to seven months and a fine of 10,000 yuan, the court said, adding that all of them had pleaded guilty in the trial, which took place at the Yantian District Court in Shenzhen.
The remaining two, who were minors at the time of their arrest in August, were handed over to a Hong Kong police station on Wednesday. According to Hong Kong prosecutors and police, Chinese prosecutors have decided to drop their case because they were underage after pleading guilty in another closed hearing.
Police said the teens, who are now 18 and 17 respectively, would continue to be charged in Hong Kong. The two are charged with arson in connection with their alleged involvement in last year’s protests. In September 2019, the older teenager was arrested along with four others during an operation in which police found explosive material in an apartment, while the youngster is accused of throwing Molotov cocktails at a police station last October, police said.
In October, city police arrested nine people who they said were assisting the 12 activists in their escape attempt. The Chinese court statement released Wednesday suggested that Mr. Tang and Ms. Moon’s operation had been organized by other efforts. Lawyers hired by the defendants’ relatives said they “will not rule out the possibility of more people being arrested.”
Relatives of the ‘Hong Kong 12’ spoke to the media on Monday.
Photo:
miguel candela / EPA / Shutterstock
Pro-democracy activists have tried to use the cases to revive Hong Kong’s protest movement, initially triggered by a now-defunct law that would have allowed people to be extradited to mainland China.
A number of Hong Kong democracy activists have sought refuge this year following the passing of the National Security Act, including former lawmakers Nathan Law, Ted Hui and Sixtus Leung.
—Natasha Khan contributed to this article.
Write to Joyu Wang at [email protected]
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