Hong Kong ‘s pro-democracy activists have been found guilty of visiting Tiananmen | Political Issues

Three, including tycoon Jimmy Lai, were found guilty of their last year’s commemoration of the 1989 massacre.

Three prominent Hong Kong pro-democracy activists have been found guilty of participating in the annual Tiananmen Square massacre, which killed thousands of people.

Media expert Jimmy Lai and co-founder Chow Hang-tung, were found guilty of inciting others to attend the annual Tiananmen ceremony in the city on June 4, 2020, while Gwyneth Ho was found guilty of attending an “illegal” meeting. Chow was also found guilty of participating in an “illegal” meeting.

Amnesty International has described the results as “a serious violation of the right to freedom of expression and association”.

Lai, Chow and Ho all refused. All are in jail after being denied bail.

“The Hong Kong government has also violated international law in judging human rights activists for their peaceful co-operation with victims of Chinese military killings on June 4, 1989,” Amnesty International’s deputy secretary general Kyle Ward said in a statement.

“Authorities have found that the wait was not ‘permissible’ because the police did not approve, but peaceful assembly does not require government permission. This is just one example of how Hong Kong authorities have tried very hard to enforce the law by making false accusations against human rights activists. ”

Like many other politicians in Hong Kong, Lai, Chow and Ho are facing a number of charges – one of which could result in life imprisonment under the National Security Law enacted by China in June 2020.

Lai, founder of the now-defunct newspaper, Apple Daily, has been in prison for almost a year.

He was arrested in August 2020 and charged with conspiracy to commit illegal acts, treason and fraud. In April 2021, he was sentenced to 14 months in prison for preparing for and attending two illegal meetings in August 2019.

In June of this year, Victoria Park was empty despite attempts to commemorate the riot in other ways [File: Vincent Yu/AP Photo]

The same month, he was charged with conspiracy to commit atrocities and conspiracy to commit atrocities. In May 2021, he was sentenced to 14 more months in prison for organizing an illegal meeting on October 1, 2019.

Chow Hang-tung is a former leader of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, which split after government officials used the annual Tiananmen candlelight vigil that has been organized for 30 years as evidence the group “puts national security at risk”. .

He faces a number of charges including one “incitement to violate state power” according to national security law.

Gwyneth Ho, a former journalist who turned out to be a human rights activist, is one of 47 protesters detained earlier this year under the National Security Act for preparing primaries to elect candidates for the Legislative Council (Legco) elections. which was stopped afterwards. He has been in jail awaiting trial for almost a year “for attempting to undermine state power”. Legco elections are now due to take place on December 19 under the new electoral law to ensure that only so-called “patriots” can hold office.

The Tiananmen Square guard has been on Victoria Park in Hong Kong since 1990, as a way of remembering those who died in June 1989 when soldiers opened fire on students and staff who had been protesting for months inside Beijing. The security guard also urged government officials to disclose the truth about the incident and to respond to the incident, as the government seeks to stop any discussion of the allegations.

Media mogul Jimmy Lai, founder of Apple Daily, was first arrested in August 2020 and was given a hard time in jail for nearly a year. [File: Tyrone Siu/Reuters]

The watch has been banned for the past two years, with officials denouncing the plague.

Under the Hong Kong Public Order Ordinance, permission from the police is required to organize a rally or demonstration. Without it, the event is considered “illegal” and organizers and participants are at risk of being fined or imprisoned.

Under international law, government officials may not require prior approval, but only information to help conduct meetings in an orderly manner, Amnesty said.