Tam Tak Chi’s sedition charges potentially opens up thousands of Hong Kongers to the prospect of jail

Tam Tak Chi, the pro-democracy activist and former radio DJ, became the first individual to be charged for “uttering of seditious words" under the city’s colonial-era sedition laws since 1997.

Today, Tam Tak-chi, was found guilty of 11 charges, and was acquitted of two charges of “disorderly conduct in a public place,” and one count of “conspiracy to utter seditious words.”

District Court Judge Stanley Chan Kwong-chi, handpicked by the city’s leader to oversee national security proceedings, also ruled that Tam Tak Chi’s use of the popular pro-democracy slogan “Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution of Our Times” was capable of inciting others to commit secession.  

On 24 May 2020, Tam Tak Chi was arrested in Causeway Bay for holding or convening an unauthorised public assembly to protest against the national security law. He was also charged with uttering seditious words for organising street booths between March 2020 and July 2020.

The case has been adjourned to March 31 when Tam Tak Chi will receive his sentence.

Tam Tak Chi’s trial comes just several hours after news organisations confirmed that the former Chair of the Hong Kong Bar Association, Paul Harris QC, had left Hong Kong for the UK following being questioned under the National Security Law.

Commenting on Tam Tak Chi’s trial, Johnny Patterson, Policy Director for Hong Kong Watch, said:

Today’s conviction of Tam Tak Chi reflects another water-shed moment for the deteriorating human rights situation in Hong Kong, as Beijing resurrects colonial-era sedition laws to criminalise free speech.

Tam Tak Chi’s case paves the way for Beijing to outlaw the popular 2019 pro-democracy slogan and potentially opens up thousands more Hong Kongers to the prospect of jail for the use of a single phrase.

Overseen by a handpicked judge and coming a few hours after the former Chair of the Hong Kong Bar Association was forced to leave Hong Kong after being detained under the National Security Law, Tam Tak Chi’s sedition charges raise further questions about the dismal state of the rule of law in Hong Kong.

Foreign judges must ask themselves whether they can continue to turn a blind eye to gross human rights violations and offer this broken legal system a veneer of legitimacy?”

譚得志煽動文字案被判罪成 為未來更多以言入罪案件開創先例

香港社運人士、前電台主持「快必」譚得志是自 1997 年香港主權移交以來首個被以「發表煽動性文字 」罪起訴的人。

譚得志今天被裁定 11 項罪名成立，其餘 2 項 「在公共場所擾亂秩序 」和 1 項 「串謀發表煽動性文字」罪則被宣告無罪。

由當局挑選的國安法指定法官陳廣池亦裁定，譚得志使用流行民主口號 「光復香港，時代革命」能夠煽動他人分裂國家。 

2020 年 5 月 24 日，譚得志在銅鑼灣因舉行或召集未經批准公眾集會抗議國安法而被捕。他亦因 2020 年 3 月至 2020 年 7 月期間組織街站而被指控「發表煽動性文字」。

案件被法官押後至 3 月 31 日進行判刑。

在譚得志案裁決的幾個小時前，新聞機構證實香港大律師公會前主席夏博義 (Paul Harris QC) 在與國安處警誡會面後，已經離開香港前往英國。

香港監察政策總監 Johnny Patterson 評論譚得志案判刑指：

「今天對譚得志的定罪反映了香港人權狀況惡化至更水深火熱的時刻，因為北京復活了殖民時代的煽動性法律，以言入罪。

譚得志的案件為北京全面封殺 2019 年的流行民主口號「光復香港，時代革命」鋪路，並有可能為成千上萬的香港人被以言入罪開創先例。

案件判決前幾個小時，香港大律師公會前主席夏博義因被國安處警誡會面後被迫離開香港。而譚得志案是由一位政權精心挑選的國安法指定法官處理，引起各界對香港令人沮喪的法治狀況進一步質疑。

外國法官必須撫心自問，他們是否能繼續對嚴重侵犯人權的行為視而不見，繼續維護這個破碎的法律體系？ 」