Hong Kong protest leaders charged
HONG KONG: Hong Kong police yesterday charged nine organisers of the 2014 pro-democracy demonstrations, just a day after a new Beijing-backed leader was chosen.
The move provoked anger and disbelief among protesters and heightened political tension in the Chinese-ruled city.
“We want real universal suffrage,” more than 100 supporters shouted outside the Wanchai police headquarters last night as the nine organisers went inside.
Former chief secretary Carrie Lam was chosen on Sunday by a 1 200-person committee to lead the city, pledging to unite political divisions.
The protest leaders dubbed “the Occupy trio” – law professor Benny Tai, sociology professor Chan Kin-man and Reverend Chu Yiu-ming – were each charged with conspiracy to commit public nuisance, incitement to commit public nuisance and incitement to incite public nuisance.
Six others including two legislators and two former student protest leaders were also charged with crimes related to public nuisance during the 2014 unrest.
Amnesty International’s China researcher William Nee called the timing of the prosecutions “very alarming”.
“They’ve had years to consider these cases and they just decided to do this now,” Nee said.
It was not clear why authorities had waited so long to pursue the charges.
The police arrested a total of 1 003 people in relation to the protests, of which 216 had been charged as of the end of January, the Secretary for Justice said last month.
Lam said she did not know about the prosecutions beforehand and could not intervene with prosecutions carried out by the administration of incumbent leader Leung Chun-ying.
“I made it very clear that I want to unite society and bridge the divide that has been causing us concern, but all these actions should not compromise the rule of law in Hong Kong and also the independent prosecution process that I have just mentioned,” said Lam, who will take office on July 1. Chan disputed this. “Carrie Lam said she wanted to mend the society, but the message we got today is prosecution. I don’t see how the society’s cracks can be mended,” Chan said.
Hong Kong was returned from British to Chinese rule in 1997, with the promise of a high degree of autonomy and other freedoms not enjoyed on the mainland. But Communist Party rulers in Beijing never hid their anger at the protests, which they called illegal.
The next few months will be critical for Leung and Lam, with Chinese President Xi Jinping expected to pay a visit on July 1 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover, with large protests expected. – Reuters