FOUR FALL ILL AS HONG KONG BAIL HEARINGS DRAG ON.
Alarms sound for courts' independence
• Even by the standards of China's crackdown on democracy in Hong Kong, the scenes were stark: defendants, charged with political crimes, wheeled into hospitals on stretchers early Tuesday after a marathon bail hearing.
In a courtroom this week, 47 of Hong Kong's leading pro-democracy figures — including lawyers, a urologist, elected officials and a fatherto-be — are fighting authorities' efforts to jail them, after they were charged on Sunday with violating a national security law that China imposed on the city last year.
The hearings have dragged on for two days in which the defendants have been deprived of sleep, meals and, at times, access to a lawyer. Four were taken to hospitals after falling sick, including 64-year-old former legislator Leung Kwok-hung, who has heart disease.
All face up to life in prison for taking part in a primary vote last year designed to maximize the pro-democracy camp's chances of winning legislative elections.
Rights activists and legal experts say the case against them threatens the independence of Hong Kong's courts, which now must integrate the Beijing-drafted security law and China's legal framework into a judicial system based on British common law. The extent to which the courts can withstand Beijing's pressure will be decisive for businesses and foreign governments in their dealings with the territory. Foreign diplomats have been observing the proceedings.
“What took place in the courtroom was a political purge and a stunt,” said Samuel Chu, managing director of the Washington-based Hong Kong Democracy Council, who referred to the spectacle as a “kangaroo court.”
“The once highly regarded Hong Kong judiciary was hijacked and used as propaganda” ahead of China's “Two Sessions” political conferences this week, he added. Officials at the meetings in Beijing are expected to push through changes to Hong Kong's electoral system to eliminate the influence of pro-democracy opposition.
Ho-fung Hung, a professor of political economy at Johns Hopkins University, said the breakdown of rule of law can be a “slippery slope” for Hong Kong. “It is alarming, as other people in business and other walks of life would think whether this could happen to them if somehow they step on the toes of the authorities and are charged by the national security law someday,” he said.
As the hearings dragged on Monday, some defendants were unable to eat dinner until midnight. At about 2 a.m. Tuesday, defendant Clarisse Yeung, a 34-year-old district councillor, fainted. Only then did the judge end proceedings, after which three more were taken to hospital.