A Hong Kong court on Thursday found seven pro-democracy activists guilty of organizing or participating in an unauthorized rally, including Next Media founder Lai Chi-ying and founding Democratic Party chairman Martin Lee, 82, as well as Albert Ho, former lawmakers Lee Cheuk-yan, Ng Yau-yee, Leung Kwok-hung, Ho Sau-lan, Leung Yiu-chung and Au Nok-hin. A judge at Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Magistrates’ Court ruled that the defendants had learned from news reports that the march was not officially sanctioned before it took place, but still participated. The verdict in the case was handed down on April 16.
A Hong Kong court today found seven pro-democracy activists guilty of organizing or participating in an unauthorized rally, including Next Media founder Lai Chi-ying and founding Democratic Party chairman Lee Chu-ming, 82, Reuters reported today.
The Civil Human Rights Front (CHRF) initiated a “running rally” in Victoria Park on August 18, 2019, after the police issued a notice of objection to the march and post-march rally applied by the CHRF. A total of nine pro-democracy activists were charged with organizing or participating in the unauthorized rally afterwards. Among them, Au Nok Hin and Leung Yiu-chung earlier pleaded guilty to two and one charge respectively.
According to the Central News Agency today quoted Hong Kong media sources said, Hong Kong One Media Group founder Lai Chi-ying and other nine people participated in the “anti-China” campaign rally and march in August last year, the court today found guilty of organizing and participating in an illegal assembly of two charges, the case was postponed to the 16th of this month to pronounce the sentence. The West Kowloon Magistrate’s Court judge ruled that before the rally and march took place, the defendants had learned from news reports that the march had not been officially approved, but still participated.
The judge said the defendants were jointly involved in the matter and were equally culpable, and adjourned the case until the 16th to hear pleadings and sentencing.
The Central News Agency said that on August 18, 2019, the Civil Human Rights Front initiated a rally in Victoria Park in Causeway Bay and marched to a rally in Central, but the police issued a notice of objection, prohibiting the Civil Rights Front from holding the march and rally in Central, and only approved the Civil Rights Front’s rally in Victoria Park. However, on the day of the Victoria Park rally, a large number of protesters ignored the police’s objection and set off from Victoria Park to Central, with Lai Chi-ying and others leading the way. Subsequently, the police arrested and charged Lai Chi-ying and nine others, the other eight being former Democratic Party Chairman Martin Lee and Albert Ho, as well as former legislators Lee Cheuk-yan, Ng Yau-yee, Leung Kwok-hung, Ho Sau-lan, Leung Yiu-chung and Au Nok-hin.
According to the report, Leung Yiu-chung and Au Nok-hin had earlier pleaded guilty to the court.
The Central News Agency said that in addition to the above charges, Lai Chi-ying is also suspected of violating Hong Kong’s national security law and was prosecuted by the authorities and has been taken into custody pending trial so far.
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