The 12 Hong Kong people who attempted to abscond to Taiwan by boat but were intercepted by the Guangdong Coast Guard have been imprisoned in Shenzhen for more than two weeks, and their families and lawyers have still not been allowed to visit them. The case, because the “big issues involved”. Ren also said that, under normal circumstances, the authorities have referred the case of 12 Hong Kong people to the government-appointed lawyers to represent them, and some Hong Kong barristers believe that the government-appointed lawyers often cooperate with the authorities, the parties in this case has “nothing to do, waiting for their (mainland) grace.
On the Hong Kong side, after receiving requests for assistance from some family members, the Immigration Department followed up with the Hong Kong Government’s Economic and Trade Office in Guangdong. However, the bureau did not disclose how many requests for help were received and what assistance would be provided. The Bureau said the public security authorities are handling the case according to their legal system, and the police have contacted the mainland law enforcement authorities to understand the progress of the case.
In a previous interview with the Position News, Mr. Ren Quanniu expressed his concern that the case would become a special case handled by the Guangdong Provincial Public Security Bureau, and if it were to escalate to the level of national security, he was worried that the Hong Kong detainees would be tried in the mainland for the crimes they are accused of in Hong Kong, and that they would be assigned government-appointed lawyers.
According to Ming Pao, a Sichuan lawyer representing one of the arrested Hong Kong residents arrived at the Yantian District Detention Center in Shenzhen at about 1:40 p.m. yesterday with a “notarized certificate” from Chengdu. He said the public security department has verified the certificate and he also handed over a photocopy of the certificate. He also said that when he went to the detention center and asked for a meeting with the person concerned, the police officer said that he could have a meeting with the person concerned if he had the notary certificate.
About two hours later, Lu Siwei said that he was informed by the police officer that his client had already appointed two lawyers, so he would not arrange a meeting with his client. Lu described this as a “government-appointed lawyer” situation, and asked for a meeting with the police to verify the authenticity, but the police only sent back the documents, with no other response. He then went to the Yantian Public Security Bureau to file a complaint about the situation, and said he “will definitely fight for the rights of our clients.
Ming Pao quoted Hong Kong barrister Zhang Yaoliang as saying that in the case of government-appointed lawyers, “nothing can be done, waiting for their (mainland) grace. Zhang pointed out that government-appointed lawyers are common in the mainland, especially in “sensitive cases,” and that government-appointed lawyers are often in cooperation with the authorities, will teach the defendant to plead guilty, and plead for leniency in court; the client has the right to refuse the mainland’s officially appointed lawyers, but it is estimated that 12 Hong Kong people “most do not know (refuse). “The government’s lawyer is not a lawyer.
Zhang Yao Liang explained that, according to past experience in the Mainland, the family or their appointed lawyer can only verify whether they have appointed a lawyer from the Mainland police or the client, even if the family knows the identity of the lawyer, the other party may refuse to meet or arrange for the family to meet with the client. Zhang Yao Liang also mentioned that during the anti-amendment controversy last year, the Hong Kong government said that the mainland judiciary would act according to the law, and that the mainland could have used this case as an opportunity to demonstrate how to rule the country according to the rule of law, “but now it only ‘demonstrates’ the absence of the rule of law.
In the past, all Hong Kong people who helped commit crimes in the mainland had government-appointed lawyers, and some of the defendants were allowed to change lawyers at some stage, but it took a long time for the notary to verify the lawyers’ identity and the blood relationship between the family members and the defendants, she said. She also believes that, as the cases of these Hong Kong people are more complicated, the mainland authorities will be more careful in verifying the documents.
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