After the fall, seven people, including Lai Chi-ying, were convicted of two counts in the case of anti-sending to China, and the verdict was announced on the 16th.

On April 1, Lai Chi-ying and seven others were found guilty by the court of organizing and participating in an illegal assembly. The picture shows Hong Kong people showing solidarity with them.

The court today (April 1) convicted Lai Chi-ying, founder of the Next Media Group, Lee Chu-ming, former chairman of the Democratic Party, and Albert Ho of organizing and participating in an illegal assembly for taking part in the “anti-China” rally and march, and deferred the verdict to the 16th.

Lai Chi-ying and nine other pan-democrats were arrested by the police for taking part in an anti-China rally and march on August 18 of the previous year, and this morning the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Court ruled that, in addition to Au Nok-hin and Leung Yiu-chung, the remaining seven people were guilty of “organizing an unauthorized assembly” and “knowingly participating in an unauthorized assembly. “both convicted.

Those found guilty were Lai Chi-ying, Lee Chu-ming, Ho Chun-yan, Lee Cheuk-yan (former Legislative Council member), Ng Yi-yee (former Legislative Council member of the Civic Party), Leung Kwok-hung (former Legislative Council member of the League of Social Democrats) and Ho Sau-lan (former Legislative Council member).

The judge granted bail to five of the seven defendants, while Lai Chi-ying and Leung Kwok-hung were remanded in custody, and the case was adjourned to the 16th of this month for sentencing.

It is reported that Lai Chi-ying in the hearing performance calm, when the court adjourned some people in the gallery shouted “cheer ah! After the hearing, some people in the gallery shouted “cheer up!” and “Jimmy (Lai Chi-ying) cheer up”, after which Lai Chi-ying and Leung Kwok-hung, who had to return to scabbard, entered the cell. When they left, Lai took off his glasses and raised his hand to his friends and Family, and some cried in the gallery.

The defense attorney questioned the Hong Kong government’s prosecution based on roughly the same factual basis, repeatedly charged the defendant “organization” and “participation” in the unauthorized assembly of two crimes, in a disguised way, the subject faces “double conviction “The defendant faced a double conviction. The police did not warn the defendants that the unauthorized procession might be illegal on that day, but only prosecuted them afterwards, obviously settling scores after the fact.

Barrister Chen Zhigang, who represented Wu Xiaoyi, pointed out in his closing arguments that the maximum penalty for either a peaceful and rational unauthorized assembly or an unlawful assembly involving violence is the same at five years in prison, arguing that this is a harsh, unreasonable and disproportionate restriction on the public’s freedom of assembly.

Hong Kong media’s “Standpoint News” reports that the ruling will have a significant negative impact on Hong Kong people’s right to freedom of assembly in the future, and may also serve as an indicator for the court’s ruling on other similar cases, such as last year’s June 4 case in which 26 people were charged with “unauthorized assembly”.