Ten people who tried to escape from Hong Kong to Taiwan were sentenced in a Chinese court to up to three years in prison, while two minors will be returned home without charge.
On Wednesday, the Yantian people’s court ordered the group to serve several sentences ranging from seven months to three years in prison. Of the two people accused of organizing illegal border crossing, one was sentenced to three years and fined RMB 20,000 (£ 2,260), and the other to two years and RMB 15,000.
The remaining eight people, all accused of illegally crossing the border, were arrested for seven months and fined RMB 10,000.
All members of the group are believed to have pleaded guilty in the one-day trial on Monday, which was effectively closed to the public, as foreign diplomats and the press were rejected in court. The test date was announced just three days earlier, leaving family members with no time to travel to Shenzhen and complete the quarantine.
The two remaining members of the group, both under 18, were due to be returned to Hong Kong police custody on Wednesday morning. The Yantian prosecutor’s office in Shenzhen said after a “non-public hearing and investigation” that it decided not to prosecute the minors after they admitted the guilt.
The group – dubbed Hong Kong 12 by supporters and the media, and “separatists” by Chinese authorities – was arrested in the early hours of August 23, when the Guangdong coast guard intercepted their launch off the coast of Hong Kong. The 12 on board, aged between 16 and 33, were reportedly bound for Taiwan, fleeing cargo related to the 2019 protests. Among the passengers was Andy Li, an activist who had been arrested under draconian national security law, suspected foreign collusion.
The Hong Kong government said mainland officials said the boat left Po Toi O around 7 am, crossing mainland half an hour later, where it was intercepted 26 nautical miles outside Hong Kong’s waters. However, with few details provided by Chinese authorities, suspicions persisted that the boat was not yet in Chinese waters.
The group was taken to Shenzhen on the mainland, and their families and Hong Kong officials were not informed until days later. According to their relatives, they were prevented from contacting the outside world, denied medication and the lawyers they chose were denied access. Other lawyers on the continent claimed that the authorities tried to pressure them not to represent their clients. In November, families received letters from detainees, but the content only increased their concerns.
It was not until mid-December that they were finally charged. Two were accused of organizing illegal border crossing, eight others of committing it. Two members of the group are minors and, although officials said their cases would be heard in a closed session at a later date, on Wednesday it was revealed that they would be returned to Hong Kong.
Prisons have become a critical point for the pro-democracy movement, which was and still is strongly targeted by the authorities. Since the introduction of the national security law in June, dozens have been arrested and high-profile activists jailed or forced into exile.