HONG KONG – A group of Hong Kong protesters who were arrested by mainland Chinese authorities while fleeing the motorboat city were sentenced to prison in a mainland court on Wednesday in the Chinese Communist Party’s latest offensive against pro-democracy activists who sought to challenge your rule.
Eight of the protesters, accused of illegally crossing a border, were sentenced to seven months in prison. Two others, Tang Kai-yin, 31, and Quinn Moon, 33, who were charged with the most serious crime of organizing the escape attempt, were given three and two years, respectively.
Protesters were also fined 10,000 to 20,000 yuan, about $ 1,500 to $ 3,000.
Two other defendants, who were teenagers at the time of their arrest, pleaded guilty in a closed-door hearing and were not later charged, according to a statement on Wednesday from prosecutors in Shenzhen City, where the activists were detained. Hong Kong police said on Wednesday that they would receive custody of two unidentified defendants from the mainland authorities.
The 12 protesters were caught in August by the Chinese Coast Guard, about 72 kilometers southeast of Hong Kong Island, while trying to escape to Taiwan. Many Hong Kong citizens who oppose Beijing have sought refuge in Taiwan in recent months, especially since June, when the central government imposed a severe new national security law in Hong Kong that many believe has stifled the city’s valuable civil liberties.
One of the captured protesters, Andy Li, was being investigated under the new law at the time of his escape attempt.
The case of the 12 activists – who were dubbed “Hong Kong youth” by supporters at home, although aged between 17 and 33 – came to embody the fears of many anti-government protesters about the continued invasion of the central government in Hong Kong, a former British colony that promised 50 years of relative autonomy when it was returned to China in 1997.
As detainees were detained and tried on the continent, they did not have access to lawyers selected by their relatives, according to a group representing their relatives. They were also not charged with any crime until this month, more than three months after their capture.
Wednesday’s ruling at the Yantian District People’s Court in Shenzhen City further revealed the differences between the continent’s legal system, which is opaque and often used to silence dissidents, and the Hong Kong system, which follows the principles of common law.
No relatives of the defendants were present at the two-day trial, according to relatives in Hong Kong, although the Shenzhen court said in a statement that some relatives attended. Family members were notified of the trial date only three days in advance.
The trial was also not open to observers, despite requests from the family and some foreign diplomats. (Shenzhen officials reportedly said the courtroom was full.)
According to Chinese state media reports, the 10 protesters pleaded guilty in the hope of receiving a lighter sentence.
In a statement on Monday, after the trial opened, the family group said the lawsuit was “evidence of obvious draconian political persecution.
“The families of the 12 have been in great agony during their detention,” the statement continues. “Now, they are just asking for their children’s safety and their first return to Hong Kong.”
The case has also drawn condemnation from foreign governments who have criticized China’s crackdown on Hong Kong. A spokesman for the United States Embassy in China called for the “immediate release” of the activists, adding in a statement on Monday that “his so-called ‘crime’ was to flee tyranny.”
A European Union spokesman said the defendants’ rights to a fair trial “have not been respected”. And Dominic Raab, the British foreign secretary, said he was “deeply concerned” about the process.
In response to the accusations, Zhao Lijian, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said the United States should “immediately stop interfering in China’s internal affairs and judicial sovereignty”.
Hong Kong officials are also suing the protesters. On Tuesday, Tony Chung, a 19-year-old student activist, was sentenced to four months in prison for illegal rally and insulting the national flag.