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Saturday, Feb 22, 2025
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6,000 protesters near decision day
A legislator said authorities will decide "within weeks" whether to prosecute 6,000 protesters arrested in the 2019 social unrest.
Gary Zhang Xinyu of New Prospect for Hong Kong cited Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung as saying investigations are almost finished for the 6,000, who will be notified "within weeks" on whether they will be charged.
Zhang remarked: "It at least allows those arrested to have an idea of their situations."
Probes on 1,000 people involved in the Polytechnic University protest and siege in November 2019 would take more time, he added.
According to police figures as of October there were 10,279 arrested protesters aged 11 to 87, and 2,915 had gone through judicial proceedings.
The protesters were accused of offenses including rioting, participating in unlawful assemblies, wounding, assaults, arson, criminal damage, assaults on police, obstructing public officers and possessing offensive weapons.
A total of 1,391 were convicted of offenses.
Also yesterday, an 18-year-old part-time waiter was sent to a training center for publishing incitement messages and insulting the national anthem and flag on the internet.
Chui Hoi-chun went before chief magistrate So Wai-tak at West Kowloon Magistrates' Court.
He had earlier pleaded guilty to four charges related to his acts, with So noting Chui continuously posted 29 pieces of seditious content online over 28 months, including audio, text and video.
The magistrate noted that Chui's acts were mainly against the SAR administration and should be stopped as soon as possible to prevent social unrest, and so a deterrent sentence was required.
In mitigation, Chui's lawyer said a training center order failed to take into account Chui's remorse and guilty plea, and he hoped So could make a rehabilitation center or a detention center order.
But So said such a sentence could not reflect the seriousness of the cases.
Among Chui's acts were him posting altered lyrics of the national anthem on social media platforms including online forum LIHKG, Discord and YouTube between June 12 and September 27, 2022.
He also posted images of disfigured national flags between October 8, 2021 and September 27, 2022.
Zhang remarked: "It at least allows those arrested to have an idea of their situations."
Probes on 1,000 people involved in the Polytechnic University protest and siege in November 2019 would take more time, he added.
According to police figures as of October there were 10,279 arrested protesters aged 11 to 87, and 2,915 had gone through judicial proceedings.
The protesters were accused of offenses including rioting, participating in unlawful assemblies, wounding, assaults, arson, criminal damage, assaults on police, obstructing public officers and possessing offensive weapons.
A total of 1,391 were convicted of offenses.
Also yesterday, an 18-year-old part-time waiter was sent to a training center for publishing incitement messages and insulting the national anthem and flag on the internet.
Chui Hoi-chun went before chief magistrate So Wai-tak at West Kowloon Magistrates' Court.
He had earlier pleaded guilty to four charges related to his acts, with So noting Chui continuously posted 29 pieces of seditious content online over 28 months, including audio, text and video.
The magistrate noted that Chui's acts were mainly against the SAR administration and should be stopped as soon as possible to prevent social unrest, and so a deterrent sentence was required.
In mitigation, Chui's lawyer said a training center order failed to take into account Chui's remorse and guilty plea, and he hoped So could make a rehabilitation center or a detention center order.
But So said such a sentence could not reflect the seriousness of the cases.
Among Chui's acts were him posting altered lyrics of the national anthem on social media platforms including online forum LIHKG, Discord and YouTube between June 12 and September 27, 2022.
He also posted images of disfigured national flags between October 8, 2021 and September 27, 2022.
