The Hong Kong court convicted nine veteran pro-democracy leaders over a march that took place in August 2019. Seven of the defendants pleaded not guilty and two pleaded guilty, but all will be sentenced on April 16, with the maximum sentence to be up to five years in prison.
The conviction of these leaders has sparked outrage in not only HK but overseas too, as China homes in on squashing the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong.
What is the situation?
Last Thursday, nine pro-democracy leaders were convicted by the Hong Kong court, all nine found guilty of organising and knowingly participating in an unauthorised assembly. Of the nine convicted, media tycoon Jimmy Lai was among them. Lai is the owner of a pro-democracy tabloid Apple Daily and is a well-known name and face internationally. Martin Lee, otherwise known as the “Father of Democracy” was also among those convicted.
The main focus of the case was the 2019 march in which an estimated 1.7 people attended to march, and this lasted for 7 months straight. The march was to call for democracy and police accountability, and the sheer volume and impact of the protest has led many to believe that it became one of Beijing’s greatest challenges in decades.
However, for the leaders of such an impactful march to now be convicted, is seen as a major assault on the right to freedom of speech in Hong Kong, and a further threat to their democracy.
The prosecution focused on the marchers being led out of the zone in which the protest was supposed to stay, however, the defence argued that it that was necessary as the park had gone beyond capacity and for safety reasons, the leaders led the march to be spread out.
Despite the defence’s best efforts, the district judge Amanda Woodcock convicted the defendants, “The prosecution can prove beyond reasonable doubt that all the defendants organised what amounted to an unauthorised assembly on August 18, 2019.” Woodcock told the court last week.
The response to the convictions
If the nine leaders who have been convicted would be to receive the harshest penalty of 5 years in prison, it will set the tone for the upcoming years of the struggle between the people of Hong Kong against their government and the Communist Party of China. The U.S. Department of State has expressed that they believe that the Hong Kong government “did not respect” the right to free assembly in a report released at the end of last month.
The same report also touched on the national security law that China had imposed on Hong Kong last year, stating that China had, “dramatically undermined rights and freedoms in Hong Kong.” This new law meant that Beijing was able to take on a considerable amount of control over the government in Hong Kong and privacy will no longer be as it was before, causing many to worry for the future of their freedom and democracy.
What will happen in the future?
The conviction of some of the most influential faces of pro-democracy in Hong Kong will have a huge impact on those who have been pushing forward for Hong Kong’s freedom and democracy.
China’s sweeping crackdown on protesters and the pro-democracy movement has been picking up speed over the past few years and with the added control that came with the introduction of new laws last year that gives them more control to put a stop to protestors actions and monitor their moves, it is yet to be known how things will end.
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