In addition to Wu Chi-wai, who is in prison, the rest of the defendants pulled up banners and chanted slogans before going to court, criticizing the authorities for political prosecution.
The Hong Kong police banned the pro-democracy camp from holding the 7.1 march last year, but people still gathered in many districts on Hong Kong Island on that day. Eight people were arrested by the police in December last year and charged with “inciting, organizing and participating in an unauthorized assembly” on July 1. The case was re-tried on Monday (8) at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Court.
The eight defendants are Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) convenor Chan Ho-hwan, former Democratic Party chairman Wu Chi-wai, former Legislative Council member Chu Kai-dick, League of Social Democrats member Leung Kwok-hung, Tang Sai-lai, Eastern District Councilor Tsang Kin-shing, Chan Wing-tai and Tsui Tsz-mui.
Wu was charged with inciting others to participate in the march before and after July 1. He was brought to the West Kowloon Magistrate’s Court last month for failing to surrender his British National (Overseas) Passport (BNO), a travel document, in violation of his bail conditions. After hearing the arguments of both the prosecution and the defense, the Chief Magistrate, Mr. Rodriguez, withdrew the application for bail and remanded him to the custody of the Correctional Services Department, one month later, Mr. Wu Zhiwei arrived at the court on Monday in a prison van.
The rest of the defendants met with the media before going to court, pulling up banners and chanting slogans. Criticism of the authorities political prosecution.
Slogan: peaceful assembly is not guilty! Political prosecution is shameful!
On June 30 last year, the police opposed the 7.1 march of the Democratic Front. Chan Ho-hwan, Tsui Tsz-mui, Wu Chi-wai, Tsang Kin-shing and Chan Wing-tai together outside the Court of Final Appeal in Central, calling on the public to join the unauthorized march on July 1. The police arrested eight people in December last year and accused them of three crimes, including “inciting others to knowingly participate”, “holding or organizing” and “knowingly participating” in the unauthorized assembly, in connection with the July 1 day.
According to the charge, Chan Ho-hwan, Tsang Kin-shing, Tsui Tsz-mi, Wu Chi-wai and Chan Wing-tai were all charged with one count of “inciting others to knowingly participate in an unauthorized assembly”. On June 30 last year, outside the Central Court of Final Appeal, they “unlawfully incited other persons of unknown status to participate knowingly, without lawful authority or reasonable excuse, in an unauthorized public procession”.
Chan Ho-hwan, Tsui Tsz-mui, Wu Chi-wai, Chu Kai-dick, Leung Kwok-hung and Tang Sai-lai were also charged with one count of “holding or organizing an unauthorized assembly” and one count of “knowingly participating in an unauthorized assembly”. The charges allege that they “held or organized, knowingly participated in an unauthorized public procession” in the area of Hennessy Road and To Lo Chi Road in Wan Chai on July 1 last year.
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