Political prisoner trial developments in Hong Kong this week (18-22 September)
Trial of the 47 democrats
Weeks 33: (18-22 September)
The long-anticipated trial of the 47 democrats opened on Monday 6 February 2023. The trial concerns the 47 democrats who organised or participated in “unofficial” primaries in July 2020. As a result of these primaries, 55 people were arrested in January 2021, in the largest crackdown since the National Security Law was passed.
Of these, 47 have been accused of “conspiracy to commit subversion” and are now facing trial. The majority of defendants have been in detention for 2 years, as only 13 have been granted bail. 31 of the defendants have pleaded guilty. This is one of the most significant trials since the National Security Law (NSL) was passed.
Here are the updates on the twenty-eighth week of the trial of the 47 democrats:
Trial Adjourned
Now that all the defendants have testified, the trial has been adjourned to November for the prosecution and defense to prepare closing arguments.
This includes the prosecutors and legal representatives of 16 former lawmakers, ex-district councilors and activists for around four months to prepare closing submissions.
The trial will resume on 27 November 2023.
Other Developments
Development 1: Sebastien Lai raises concerns about Jimmy Lai
This week, Sebastien Lai, the son of Apple Daily founder and pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai, has expressed deep concerns about his father’s situation.
He said he was worried that his father, who is now 75 years old, risks dying in prison and that he has not seen him in three years. He only saw what his father looked like in the recent photos published by AP and has no direct access to him.
He criticised the UK government for its “shameful” lack of action to support Lai, who is a British citizen, and has been advocating for his father in the UK, US, and at the UN, along with his legal team.
Development 2: Financial Secretary Paul Chan visits Europe
Hong Kong’s Financial Secretary Paul Chan started his trip to Europe this week. First, he went to Paris where he promoted business in Hong Kong, with support from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC). He brings with him a delegation of more than 130 representatives from chambers of commerce, public organizations, investors, startup entrepreneurs, and professional service providers, making this the largest Hong Kong delegation to Europe since the pandemic.
Chan then went to London where he attended a Hong Kong Dinner hosted by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council in London, which welcomed around 400 leaders and professionals from different sectors of the UK. He is expected to visit Berlin and Frankfurt before returning to Hong Kong.
Hong Kong Watch condemns this trip, as well as the European organisations who are hosting Paul Chan, for promoting “business as normal” in Hong Kong and whitewashing the human rights violations, including the political trials and political prisoners who have been jailed since the 2019 protests and National Security Law was passed.
Development 3: Court orders community service for vandalism on anniversary of Tiananmen Anniversary
The West Kowloon Law Courts have concluded a case concerning two women and one man, all aged 22, who admitted to scrawling graffiti on power boxes, lampposts and other public facilities on 4 June 2022, which is the anniversary of the Tiananmen Massacre.
The three defendants have been sentenced to between 160 and 200 hours of community service for vandalism. The magistrate added that she did not want to impose any immediate custodial sentence on the trio because they “confessed guilt at the earliest opportunity.”
The vandalism was committed on five power boxes, two parking meters, two post boxes, four lamp posts, two traffic light posts, three rubbish bins, and one speed camera on June 4, 2022, and consisted of Tiananmen Massacre-related motifs.