Elderly ‘father of democracy’ faces jail time for defying China
A veteran campaigner known as the ‘‘father of democracy’’ is among seven anti-Beijing activists facing five years in jail for unauthorised assembly.
Martin Lee, 82, a barrister who helped to write the Basic Law underpinning Hong Kong’s relative freedoms when it was handed back to China in 1997, was found guilty on Thursday, Hong Kong time, with Jimmy Lai, 72, the entrepreneur behind the largest pro-democracy newspaper.
The other defendants, all older than 60, are also seasoned campaigners. The charges related to a demonstration in August 2019 when 1.7 million people took to Hong Kong’s streets.
A gathering in Victoria Park had been approved but not a march to the central business district. No violence was reported and no tear gas was used. The charges preceded Beijing’s imposition of a draconian national security law.
The conviction is likely to set precedents for several upcoming trials on similar charges of illegal protest.
The other activists found guilty were Lee Cheuk-yan, 64, Albert Ho, 69, Margaret Ng, 73, Leung Kwok-hung, 65, and Cyd Ho, 66. They will all be sentenced later, along with Au Nok-hin, 33, and Leung Yiu-chung, 67, who had pleaded guilty.
During the protests last year and in 2019 demonstrators took to the streets in defiance of the bans. David Perry, a British barrister, was hired to lead the prosecution but he dropped out after Dominic Raab, Britain’s foreign secretary, called him ‘‘pretty mercenary’’.
In her verdict, Amanda Woodcock, a district court judge, rejected the defence argument that the prosecution was unconstitutional. She acknowledged that ‘‘restrictions are imposed . . . for preserving public safety’’. She added, however, that the miniconstitution guaranteed peaceful assembly. She noted in her judgment that the prosecution had proved ‘‘the defendants together organised what amounted to an unauthorised assembly’’.
On the eve of the verdict, Lee told Deutsche Welle, the German broadcaster, that it was an honour to be jailed. He said: ‘‘Even if we should be found guilty we will feel honourable. We are jailed for expressing our opinions about and wishes for democracy and freedom.’’
Ho told the local media that the case was about freedom of speech. ‘‘The freedoms will shrink further,’’ he said. ‘‘But, given the perseverance and resilience of Hong Kong people, they will find ways to make Hong Kong better.’’
The United States Biden Administration has upheld its predecessor’s decision to revoke Hong Kong’s special trade status. Antony Blinken, the secretary of state, said in his annual report that Beijing had continued ‘‘dismantling Hong Kong’s freedoms’’.