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Police type a good safety cordon for a number of blocks across the West Kowloon Magistrates Courtroom
HONG KONG – Lots of queued on Tuesday, November 19, outdoors a Hong Kong court docket forward of the sentencing of 45 pro-democracy activists in a landmark nationwide safety trial that has broken town’s as soon as feisty pro-democracy motion and drawn worldwide criticism.
A complete of 47 pro-democracy activists had been arrested and charged in 2021 with conspiracy to commit subversion below a Beijing-imposed nationwide safety regulation. The fees associated to the organizing of an unofficial “major election” in 2020 to pick out the most effective candidates for an upcoming legislative election.
The activists had been accused by prosecutors of plotting to paralyze the federal government by partaking in doubtlessly disruptive acts had they been elected.
Police shaped a good safety cordon for a number of blocks across the West Kowloon Magistrates Courtroom, as a number of hundred supporters queued whereas holding up umbrellas in a light-weight rain to attempt to safe a seat inside the principle courtroom and a number of other spillover courts.
“I really feel such an injustice wants witnessing,” mentioned Margaret, 59, wearing a white raincoat and black face masks, who was within the queue since Sunday afternoon. “I’ve lengthy adopted their case. They (the democrats) must know they nonetheless have public assist.”
After a 118-day trial, 14 of the democrats had been discovered responsible in Could, together with Australian citizen Gordon Ng and activist Owen Chow, whereas two had been acquitted.
The opposite 31 pleaded responsible, together with pupil activist Joshua Wong and alleged mastermind, authorized scholar Benny Tai. They may obtain jail phrases of a number of years to life by the three hand-picked nationwide safety judges when the listening to commences at 0200 GMT.
The US has criticized the trial as “politically motivated” and mentioned the democrats ought to be launched as that they had been “peacefully collaborating in political actions” that had been authorized.
The Chinese language and Hong Kong governments say the nationwide safety legal guidelines had been essential to revive order after mass pro-democracy protests in 2019, and the democrats have been handled in accordance with native legal guidelines.
Some supporters together with Raphael Wong, a member of the League of Social Democrats — a pro-democracy group — had been questioned by the police and had their baggage searched.
“We now have no plans to protest at present as a result of we need to go inside for the sentencing,” he advised Reuters. – Rappler.com
