Twelve young people from Hong Kong were arrested by the mainland Chinese Marine Police in August this year when they tried to smuggle themselves across Taiwan, and those involved have been detained for 128 days. The case of 10 of them began in the afternoon of Dec. 28 at the Yantian Court in Shenzhen. The court said earlier that the case would be heard behind closed doors, but on the day of the trial, the court replied to Hong Kong media inquiries, changing its tone to say that the trial would be open to the public, but stressed that “the number of seats for spectators is full. The court later announced through its website that the sentence will be delivered at a later date. In response, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab issued a statement on the same day, saying that China must adhere to the rule of law and respect the basic principles of international human rights law.
The U.S. Consulate General in Guangzhou issued a statement on Monday morning, saying that the 12 Hong Kong people were “escaping tyranny” and demanding that the Chinese side release them. The 12 Hong Kong people have been detained in the mainland for 128 days and have never met with their families or lawyers appointed by them, while their families have criticized the authorities for ignoring the legal rights of the people, making the outside world worry whether the people can get reasonable legal protection and fair trial. The trial.
According to Radio Hong Kong, on the day of the trial, the Yantian Court in Shenzhen erected a 2-meter-high fence around the sidewalk in front of the main gate, and the bulletin board and bulletin board outside the court were within the fence. There were also road signs outside the fence indicating “Road Closed, Pedestrians Detour”, and police officers were stationed at the entrance of the courthouse. The reporter asked the court, the officer said the case is open to the public according to the law, you can observe, but “the number of places to observe has been full”. On the 25th of this month, some of the families of the 12 Hong Kong people received a phone call from the official lawyer, saying that the case will be heard in Yantian Court on the 28th. Previously, the court said that the case of the 12 Hong Kong people is a closed-door trial, family members to attend the trial to obtain the consent of the judge. According to family members, the trial will be conducted in the form of video.
In its reply to RTHK’s question, the U.S. Department of State pointed out that the U.S. Consulate General in Guangzhou has applied to observe the 12 Hong Kong people’s case in accordance with established procedures. The U.S. spokesman emphasized that Article 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights clearly states that everyone has the right to leave any country, and that the 12 Hong Kong people, among them minors, have been denied access to a lawyer of their choice and to their families since they were taken away in August. The U.S. spokesman criticized Beijing for continuing to eliminate the few remaining rights and freedoms of Hong Kong people, misconnecting Party rule with the rule of law, and called on the Hong Kong and land-based governments to abide by their international obligations and commitments to respect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of Hong Kong people.
In response, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a press conference the same day that China urged the U.S. side to effectively abide by international law and the basic norms of international relations, and immediately stop interfering in China’s internal affairs and judicial sovereignty through the Hong Kong issue. After the court hearing, the court said at around 6:30 p.m. that “the case was heard in open court this afternoon in accordance with the law, and the defense of the prosecution, the defendants and their lawyers was heard. The court also said that “some Hong Kong and Shenzhen deputies to the National People’s Congress, CPPCC members, journalists and relatives of the defendants have in the public hearing among the spectators.”
According to RTHK, the families of the 12 Hong Kong people asked the authorities not to continue to delay the trial indefinitely on the grounds that the verdict would be handed down at a later date. Some of the families said that although the court claimed that the trial was open to the public, it refused to allow the families, their lawyers, journalists, and diplomats from various countries to attend the trial on the grounds that the auditorium was full. Official lawyers also refused to take calls and respond to messages from the families. The family believes that “this is definitely a secret trial, the process is unjust and unjust, is naked political persecution.” In addition, British Foreign Secretary Raab said via Twitter, “Some members of the Shenzhen 12 are being tried in secret in Shenzhen today, with only three days’ notice and no access to lawyers of their choice. China must uphold the rule of law and respect the basic principles of international human rights law.”
In a separate statement, the British Foreign Office quoted Raab as saying, “We are deeply concerned that members of the Shenzhen 12 are being tried in secret today with only three days’ notice of their trial. Diplomats from the UK and a number of other countries have attempted to attend the court proceedings but have been refused entry.” Rabb said, “The Shenzhen 12’s lack of access to lawyers of their choice raises further serious questions about access to legal counsel in mainland China. We expect China to adhere to the rule of law and to conduct trials in a fair and transparent manner in accordance with the basic requirements of international human rights law.”
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