HRW urges Hong Kong to release fifty protesters accused of conspiracy

Aug. 22 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged the Hong Kong authorities to release 47 prominent lawmakers and elected activists accused of conspiracy who could face a sentence of ten years and even life in prison.

“The very real threat of life imprisonment for peaceful activism shows Beijing’s utter disregard for both democratic political processes and the rule of law,” said HRW China researcher Maya Wang.

Specifically, the 47 trade unionists and academics, whose ages range between 24 and 66 years old, are accused of conspiring to subvert state power after organizing primaries in July 2020 to elect candidates for the Legislative Council.

Among the accused, who have already pleaded guilty, is the founder of the ‘Occupy Central’ movement, Benny Tai Yiu Ting, the student leader Joshua Wong Chi Fung, or the former deputies of the Legislative Council Wu Chi Wai, Claudia Mo, Eddie Chu or Alvin Yeung.

More than 600,000 Hong Kongers went to the polls called by the pro-democracy political movement in July 2020, the results of which would serve to elect the candidates for the Legislative Council elections in September, finally postponed due to the pandemic crisis.

The authorities maintain that those primaries were not only illegal since they are not reflected in Hong Kong’s electoral laws, but also violated National Security legislation since they were supposed to boycott the Government, provoke an institutional crisis and demand sanctions of foreign countries.

“Governments concerned should demonstrate their commitment to democracy and human rights by sanctioning officials who trample on the fundamental rights of the Hong Kong people,” Wang said, stressing that “international actions will bring comfort” to those who do “the Right”.

They are scheduled to appear in court on September 9, a trial that will be held without a jury to prevent the possibility of foreign interference, new Secretary Paul Lam Tingkwok’s Justice Department revealed on Wednesday.