One Hong Kong court don find 14 democracy activists guilty of subversion and free two for inside di biggest national security case for di kontri.
Dem dey among di 47 wey dem charge but na only 16 of dem enta not guilty pleas – subversion crime carry di maximum term of life imprisonment
From one 68-year-old former opposition lawmaker to one 28-year-old student activist, Hong Kong most famous pro-democracy campaigners dey wait for judgement on subversion charges dis week.
Di 47 defendants – wey pipo sabi as di Hong Kong 47 – dey charged to court three years ago ova di biggest crackdown under one National Security Law (NSL) wey China impose. Among dem, 16 activists plead not guilty to di charge.
Officials accuse di 47 – six women and 39 men – of trying to “overthrow” di Chinese goment by running unofficial “primary” to pick opposition candidates for local elections.
Beijing defend di 2020 law, wey follow mass pro-democracy protest, as necessary to maintain stability, but critics don say e don remove di city of im autonomy and freedoms.
Overnight, almost all of Hong Kong pro-democracy figures find themselves behind bars. Most of dem, dem don deny and go remain for jail since pre-trial detention don become di norm for pipo dem charge wit NSL.
Di trial, whey start last February, get months of delay and controversies. Di bail hearing drag on for four days, wit defendants wey bin dey denied of di possibility to change or even shower. Ten of dem later faint and dem send several to hospital.
Pipo wey dem no arrest run comot for di city, for fear of future arrests.
Hong Kong na part of China, but e get some autonomy since di end of British rule for 1997. Campaigners tok say democratic freedoms don gradually comot since den, while Beijing don repeatedly make reference to “foreign forces” wey intend to destabilise China through Hong Kong.
Di Hong Kong 47
Di professor – Benny Tai
One law professor for di prestigious University of Hong Kong (HKU), Benny Tai enter politics for 2013.
Oga Tai along wit two odas establish di pro-democracy Occupy Central movement, wey become one of di most significant movements for Hong Kong history, wey call for fair and free elections. Dem later sentence am to prison for im role in dis protests.
One year later, afta di national security law dem impose for Hong Kong, HKU fire Tai based on im protest-related criminal conviction. Oga Tai bin accuse di university of bowing to Chinese pressure and e tok say na di “end of academic freedom”.
“I dey heartbroken to witness di death of my beloved university,” di 60-year-old later tok for one Facebook post. E further allege say di decision to fire am no be “by di university… but by authority beyond di university.”
Di student – Joshua Wong
Na Hong Kong most famous pro-democracy activist according to some pipo, Joshua Wong journey into activism start from age 14.
By 2014, e don become one of di leaders of di Umbrella Movement – wey land am for jail.
Dem release am for 2019, just in time to join millions of odas wey take part in di mass protests against a proposed legislation wey go allow make dem extradite criminal suspects for Hong Kong to mainland China.
Wong dey among thousands of pipo wey hold a 15-hour siege of police headquarters for Wan Chai. Protesters throw di station eggs and spray graffiti for di walls from 11:00 to almost 04:00 di following day.
Prosecutors tok say na im be di leader of di protest, despite di 2019 protest being widely known as “leaderless movement”. But dem point to one video of Wong wey dey shout make protesters “completely surround police headquarters”.
Dem later jail am for im involvement in di protests – and place am for solitary confinement. Dem also throw multiple oda charges including contempt of court and participating in di vigil marking di 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown against am.
For 2020, afta e plead guilty to participating in protests wey take place di year before, e stand im ground, saying: “Perhaps di authorities wish me to stay for prison one term afta anoda. But I dey persuaded say neither prison bars, nor election ban, nor any oda arbitrary powers go stop us from activism.”
Di ‘revolutionary’ – Long hair
Former opposition lawmaker Leung Kwok-hung, wey pipo sabi as Long Hair for im long locks, na one of di city most outspoken critics.
Self-described as a “Marxist revolutionary”, pipo sabi di 68-year-old Leung pipo for im political theatrics.
E dey famous for throwing banana for di Legislative Council (LegCo) meeting, e also release balloon wit political banner and hold yellow umbrella for court as dem swear am in as lawmaker – symbol of Umbrella movement – and bin shout say di “Umbrella movement no go end”.
Dis move make dem disqualify am from di city parliament – and e dey behind bars for almost two years for taking part in di 2019 protests.
Im partner, Chan Po-ying, na also prominent activist. Dem dey among di founding members of one political party, di League of Social Democrats.
Dem both know each oda since dia 20s, but dem only marry for January 2021 afta dem arrest Oga Leung for subversion. Dem tok say make dem jail one of dem, dem go get greater right as married couple for prison visitation and oda legal matters.
Forty days afta di wedding, dem officially charge Leung wit subversion.
Di longtime activist – Claudia Mo
Anoda former prominent opposition lawmaker, Claudia Mo wey Cantonese pipo dey call “Auntie Mo”.
Di former journalist, bin dey work wit news agency AFP, wia she cover di 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, wey she tok say na political awakening.
She help set up di opposition Civic Party for 2006 and by 2012, e win one seat for di Legislative Council – wey mean say she go give up her British citizenship.
For November 2020, di 67-year-old along wit odas – resign from LegCo, afta dem remove four pro-democracy lawmakers. Di move leave LegCo wit almost no opposition presence.
Inside move wey one source describe as “sheer thuggery”, police officers land her house just afta dawn on 6 January 2021 to arrest her for her role inside di primaries, according to one report by di Financial Times.
Her husband, British journalist Philip Bowring, wey be 80-year-old, later fall seriously ill – and dem no allow Ms Mo to go visit am from prison. Dem later discharge Oga Bowring.
According to di FT, Ms Mo before, her arrest, tok say she don dey prepare for quiet retirement and to be able to spend more time wit her grandchildren – sometin wey fit no dey di cards anytime soon.
Di LGBT campaigner – Jimmy Sham
Long-time political and LGBTQ activist, Jimmy Sham, also di leader of one of Hong Kong largest pro-democracy groups, di Civil Human Rights Front (CHRF) dey among.
E fall victim to multiple attacks for 2019, one of which e dey lie on di street covered in blood wit head injury. E dey unclear why exactly dem attack am, though di CHRF link di attack to government supporters, suspected of assaulting oda pro-democracy activists in recent months.
For 2021, di CHRF disband and say dem no dey operate again sake of “unprecedented” challenges wey di China crackdown cause.
For im personal life, di 37-year-old marry im partner for New York in 2013. E also advocate for Hong Kong to recognise overseas same-sex marriages – one case e carry reach di Court of Final Appeal.
For 2023, dem grant am partial victory – wit Hong Kong top court rejecting im appeal, but dem order di city goment to establish one framework to legally recognise same-sex partnerships.
Di ruling na afta Sham serve im detention for prison for im participation inside di Hong Kong primaries. Im bail application dey denied, di judge tok say e be “determined and resolute young man” wey go likely continue to commit “act wey go endanger national security,” if dem release am.
Under Hong Kong national security law, dem dey deny suspects bail unless di judge dey convinced say dem no commit national security offences – one move wey dem don criticise well-well.
Di majority of di defendants don dey jail for more dan three years while dem dey await di verdict.
Sham dey among di 31 wey plead guilty – e fit face maximum sentence of life imprisonment. For Hong Kong, a guilty plea typically dey result in significant sentence reduction, though e dey unclear if e apply to di NSL.
“Dem dey force dem to make di impossible decision between pleading guilty to non-existent crime for potential reduction in sentence, or fighting losing battle under di unjust national security law. Amnesty International Deputy Regional Director Hana Young tok for one report.
Di journalist – Gwyneth Ho
Former journalist, 33-year-old Gwyneth Ho wey don work for several news outlets including BBC Chinese, local goment-owned broadcaster RTHK and online news outlet Stand News, before diverting to politics dey among too.
She become famous wen she live stream herself as mobs bin dey beat am up during di 2019 protests. Di video later go viral globally, wit many wey dey shocked to see di extent of di violence.
For 2020, she participate for di pro-democracy primaries and gada high number of votes for her constituency. Less dan one year later, dem arrest her.
For her testimony, she tok say she believe di disqualification of di 47 candidates dey “inevitable”.
“I believe say most Hong Kongers know deep down for dia hearts say fighting for democracy under di Chinese Communist regime na always fantasy,” she tok.
Judge Alex Lee, later stop her and tell her to “calm down”.
Di remaining defendants
Di remaining defendants include activists like Owen Chow, Ventus Lau and Tiffany Yuen, wey represent generation of vocal young politicians. Lau and Chow dey among hundreds of protesters wey storm di city legislative council, smashing up di chamber building and spray painting Hong Kong emblem – ogbonge moment for di 2019 protests.
Some like Helena Wong and Kwok ka-ki, wey be veteran lawmakers wit decades of experience.
And odas range from social workers like Hendrick Lui to union activists like Winnie Yu wey gada for di 2019 protests.
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