Hong Kong student leader Joshua Wong (黃之鋒) yesterday slammed police for what he called a “political prosecution” after he was charged over protests which led to last year’s mass pro-democracy street rallies.
Wong, 18, who became the face of the democracy movement, was already due to appear in court today on separate charges of obstructing police at an earlier demonstration.
The teenager and other activists have accused the authorities of a witch hunt against those at the forefront of the Umbrella Movement that brought parts of the territory to a standstill for more than two months.
Photo: AFP
Protesters called for fully free elections of the territory’s next leader, in the face of a contentious Beijing-backed political reform package in which candidates would have been vetted by a loyalist committee.
That bill was vetoed in June in an unprecedented rebuke to Beijing, leaving the territory politically polarized.
Wong yesterday was charged with “unlawful assembly, and inciting others to take part in an unlawful assembly.”
The charges, which could result in a sentence of up to five years, relate to a student protest on Sept. 26 last year during which some climbed into a square which is part of the city’s government complex.
Wong and other activists were arrested, sparking wider demonstrations which exploded two days later when police fired tear gas to disperse the crowds.
Thousands more took to the streets in the wake of what they saw as heavy-handed policing.
“Today ... is political prosecution,” Wong said before he entered a police station in Wan Chai district.
“Being involved in the civic square action is the best mission I have made in the four years I’ve been involved in social student movements,” he said. “I will not regret it ... even if I have to pay the price.”
When they emerged less than two hours later, Wong’s lawyer, Michael Vidler, confirmed the teenager had been charged.
“I think the whole rationale for proceeding at this stage, a year after the event, is totally flawed,” Vidler said. “In my view it’s a clear abuse of process.”
Prominent student protester Alex Chow (周永康) was also charged yesterday with taking part in an unlawful assembly, while student leader Nathan Law (羅冠聰) was charged with inciting others to take part in an unlawful assembly.
Law is also due to appear in court today with Wong on charges of obstructing police at protest in June last year. Both pleaded not guilty to the charges last month.
About 40 supporters outside the police station held up yellow umbrellas — the symbol of the democracy movement — and shouted “CY step down,” referring to Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chung-ying (梁振英).
“The police were waiting for the right opportunity so they wanted everything to die down,” said Surya Deva, an associate professor at the School of Law at the City University of Hong Kong. “It was not a complicated criminal investigation ... they should not be taking almost one year to prosecute someone.”
The trio will have their new charges heard on Wednesday.
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese