In Hong Kong, fourteen democracy advocates have been convicted of "sedition" by the authorities.
The Chief Executive of Hong Kong chose the judges for this case. It was a trial without a jury. The 16 defendants, made up of activists, former legislators, and district councillors, all pleaded not guilty. Most of them had been in detention since the initial charges against them in March 2021. The defendants' legal representatives deemed the verdict as more of a political decision than a legal one.
Forty-seven opposition members were charged with political offenses in 2020 in the China Special Administrative Region. They could potentially face life imprisonment. Thirty-one of the defendants have already confessed. Their punishments are anticipated later in 2023.
The procedure hinges on the controversial National Security Law that Beijing instituted following the pro-democracy mass uprisings in 2019. This controversial legislation permits authorities to take severe measures against any activities they deem to be a threat to China's safety and security - thereby also targeting critics.
In March, the Hong Kong Parliament passed an additional security law, which, according to the region's Chief Executive John Lee, aims to plug the gaps in the Beijing legislation. This new law calls for a maximum sentence of life imprisonment for treason-related crimes.
The trial sparked international interest. Diplomats from the British, French, European Union, and Italian consulates were present at the court hearing on Thursday. The British consulate in Hong Kong voiced worries "about the deterioration of Hong Kong's significant political opposition" in this case, as mentioned by the news service AFP.
As soon as the verdict was announced, the Australian government voiced strenuous objections. One of the convicts is an Australian citizen. "We are concerned about the verdicts reached today," said Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong. "Including the verdict for the Australian citizen Gordon Ng." Her government "continuously raises our consular and human rights concerns with the Hong Kong and Chinese governments," she added.
Australia also condemned the "continued implementation" of the Hong Kong Security Laws. It mentioned how "democracy advocates, opposition figures, media, union representatives, and civil society members are arrested and pressured." This application of the laws also poses consequences for people outside Hong Kong, such as in Australia, Wong remarked.
In response, China asked international opponents of the Hong Kong Security Laws to keep their distance. "We urge individual countries and politicians to view things objectively and impartially ... and not interfere in the affairs of Hong Kong and China anymore," said the Hong Kong spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
Read also:
- This will change in December
- Dikes withstand water masses so far - Scholz holds out the prospect of help
- Fireworks and parties ring in 2024 - turn of the year overshadowed by conflicts
- Attacks on ships in the Red Sea: shipping companies avoid important trade route
- The Australian government expressed strong objections after a local democracy activist, who is also an Australian citizen, was convicted in the "sedition" trial in Hong Kong.
- The Beijing-instituted National Security Law, implemented following the 2019 pro-democracy mass uprisings in Hong Kong, has targeted many critics and democracy activists, as seen in the recent trials.
- As China calls for international opponents of the Hong Kong Security Laws to keep their distance, several democratic nations, including Australia, have voiced their concerns about the ongoing suppressions of the Democracy movement in Hong Kong.
- Despite the international turmoil surrounding the trials and verdicts, the 2022 Olympics in Beijing, the capital of China, is expected to go ahead as planned, as stated by Chinese officials.
- In the midst of the "Turmoil" in Hong Kong, the Australian government continues to advocate for the protection of human rights and democratic values, supporting the Democracy activists fighting for their freedoms.
Source:
