In Hong Kong, during the major trial of the opposition, 45 prison sentences and the burial of political freedoms

Supporters of pro-democracy activists accused of violating the national security law and tried in Hong Kong, before the West Kowloon Magistrate’s Court, July 8, 2021. TYRONE SIU / REUTERS The hearing lasted six minutes, Tuesday 19 November, in the Grand Court of Justice of West Kowloon, in Hong Kong, for the pronouncement of sentences in the trial which destroyed the democratic movement of the city taken over by China. Forty-five former party leaders, activists or citizens who had dared to participate in a primary in the summer of 2020, just after Beijing imposed a draconian national security law, crowded into the glass box. They were all sentenced to prison. The president of the court, surrounded by two other judges also appointed by a government controlled by Beijing, indicated that he would not read the 82 pages of the judgment. The roller wig and the red and black dress are what remains of the rule of law which was the pride of Hong Kong before. Quickly, the magistrate simply listed the numbers of the defendants – without their names – preceded by D for “defendant”: “D1 = 120 months, D2 = 81 months, D3 = 84 months”, and so on. The number of convicts and the public interest in this burial of political freedoms were such that several annex rooms had to be opened to allow lawyers, families, supporters, committed citizens and the press to enter. The democratic parties had organized this primary in July 2020, in order to maximize their chances of obtaining seats – which is otherwise normal politics – in future legislative elections, in an electoral system largely favorable to pro-Chinese candidates. Some wanted, in the event of victory, to block the adoption of the budgets, which could have ended up forcing the local executive to resign. “Measuring what opening remains” The prosecution and the judges saw in this a desire to win the vote to bring about “a constitutional crisis”, thus retaining a “plot with a view to subversion”. The former law professor at the prestigious University of Hong Kong, who was at the origin of this primary, Benny Tai, is sentenced to ten years of imprisonment. He would have taken fifteen if he had not pleaded guilty, the judgment states. Read also | Article reserved for our subscribers Hong Kong: the opposition attracts 600,000 voters to its “primaries” Read later Early repentance during the procedures, which lasted more than three and a half years since a massive raid in January 2021 , appears to have largely guided sentencing, affecting those who refused to plead guilty to a crime that was then just ordinary political life. Behind Benny Tai, presented as the “main architect” of the plot, twenty people were sentenced to sentences ranging from five to eight years in prison, and twenty-four others to four to five years. You have 49.89% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.



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