The United States is the world’s second largest economy in terms of GDP. Magistrate Shirley Wong sentenced Huang Zhifeng to 13.5 months in prison, Langyan Lin to 7 months, and Zhou Ting to 10 months in prison. The sentence was not suspended, and the defendant’s bail was denied.
Magistrate Sherry Wang pointed out that the three men were involved in slightly different roles, but they were all active participants, assembled on a large scale, and wasted police resources, emphasizing the importance of maintaining public order: “The law does not allow unlawful disruptions of public order and must be punished with deterrent sentences to warn others from following suit. The magistrate mentioned that Huang Zhifeng had premeditatedly committed the crime the day before the incident, which shows that he had a certain degree of planning and was not acting on impulse, but rather after careful consideration.
Huang Zhifeng (24), Lin Langyan (26) and Zhou Ting (23) jointly faced one count of “inciting others to participate knowingly in an unauthorized assembly” for unlawfully inciting persons present at Harcourt Road, Admiralty, on June 21 last year to participate or continue to participate in an unauthorized assembly. All three pleaded guilty. The court took into account the fact that a guilty plea could be a reduction in sentence, and sentenced Huang Zhifeng and Lin Langyan to seven months’ imprisonment each, while Zhou Ting was sentenced to five months’ imprisonment.
Huang also faced one count of “organizing an unauthorized assembly” for organizing an unauthorized assembly outside the main entrance of police headquarters on Arsenal Street in Wanchai on the same day. The magistrate said Huang organized a large, numerous, lengthy and influential assembly, which made the case even more serious.
As for the other charge of “knowingly participating in an unauthorized assembly,” the magistrate said that Huang Zhifeng and Zhou Ting participated in an unauthorized assembly outside the Wanchai police headquarters on the same day, and Huang pleaded not guilty. The judge said that the court adopted the 12-month prison sentence, which was reduced by one-third, and sentenced him to 8 months in prison.
Wong Chi Fung: It’s a tough road, but hang in there!
Huang Zhifeng, Lin Langyan, and Zhou Ting were transported from Lai Chi Kok Reception Center to the West Kowloon Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday morning in a prison van. After the magistrate sentenced them, Huang Zhifeng shouted to the audience before leaving the courtroom, “I know it’s a tough road, but hang in there! Zhou Ting bowed her head and cried after learning of the sentence, holding a tissue in her hand as she slowly walked out of the prisoner’s pen.
In the past, Wang Fengyao, who used to participate in demonstrations with a British flag and a yellow umbrella and is also known as Granny Wang, was arrested in Shenzhen last August, but law enforcement officials said she was “provoking trouble” and had to wait for one year on bail. She returned to Hong Kong recently, and on Wednesday, she once again carried a yellow umbrella outside the West Kowloon Magistracy in support of Huang Zhifeng and others.
She said, “Why is this authority forcing us to do this? Why is that? This time it is even more outrageous, why did they sentence Zhou Ting, a woman so gentle and peaceful, to such a heavy sentence, and also to be executed in stages, is very heartbreaking. Recently, I was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by some British MPs, and I feel very ashamed, I am far from them.”
Former Hong Kong Public Chi volunteer Uncle Leo brought a dress designed by former Hong Kong Public Chi chairman Lam Long-yen, whose daughter helped with Public Chi’s work and knows Chow Ting. He said, “I can’t even say happy birthday, no one in Hong Kong is happy,” for the court’s birthday tomorrow (3rd).
The police cordoned off the area as supporters waited for the prison van to leave the courthouse. Several members of the public held up banners saying, “Release Wong Chi-fung, Lam Long-yen and Chow Ting, save the three social activists,” among other things. Ms. Chen, a new immigrant who has been in Hong Kong for 10 years, was interviewed by the station and expressed her support for the freedom of speech in Hong Kong.
I come to support Hong Kong, I support the student leaders in Hong Kong, I support the freedom of speech in Hong Kong, I want Hong Kong to be like before, I don’t need any high requirements, I can do whatever I want when I come to Hong Kong, I am satisfied. (What do you think about Hong Kong as a new immigrant?) Totally changed, especially the political aspect was very repressive, not working according to the law, but working according to the Communist Party’s wishes.”
Legal professionals believe the judge’s sentence was too harsh
In the past few years, the government has been trying to improve the quality of life of the people who have been sentenced to prison terms. As for the sentences of the three men, the sentences are to be served in installments, Su pointed out that if the charges are related to the same incident, they will generally be served concurrently. The overall penalty in the case, the offender may be sentenced to concurrent or consecutive sentences for some of the crimes, not necessarily “consecutive” sentences for all of them.
James Su: “He wrote that the two charges involved different periods of time and should therefore be served in stages. I have some doubts about this, but do they involve different events and therefore should be phased in? It seemed to me that this should be the same event. I finished gathering at this location, walked to another location, and then protested again. Illegal gathering/unpermitted assembly could be the case with some marches, and the march would necessarily be me walking from location A to location B. “
The ruling also states that “the circumstances of the case and the defendants’ backgrounds were taken into account, and it was deemed inappropriate to impose a suspended sentence,” and Su explains that the sentence needs to be more deterrent because Huang Zhifeng and Lin Langyan have a criminal record and have also been sentenced to community service orders. The court said that a community service order is an alternative to imprisonment, and that probation is legally heavier than a community service order, which does not negate the responsibility.
The government has also said that the government will continue to promote the development of the economy, and will continue to promote the development of the country’s economy. Unless he is involved in a legal demonstration, if there is something to be sued for, even if it is something very minor, he may violate the probation order and have to fulfill the relevant sentence.”
He estimated that the magistrate considered “aggravating factors” such as the role of those involved, the size of the rally, and the waste of resources, and decided that the case was serious enough not to consider probation. However, in his analysis, he told us that the presupposition of the charge of “organizing an unauthorized assembly” already assumes a role in the event, that the scale of the public gathering is often beyond the control of the organizers, and that the police must deploy resources to maintain public order even at legitimate public events. James Su has reservations that these factors can constitute “aggravating factors.
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