Hong Kong prosecutors seek arrest warrants for ‘absconded’ Nathan Law and fellow activist over banned June 4 vigil
- Both are among 26 opposition figures charged over the unauthorised assembly in Victoria Park this summer
- Law, a former lawmaker, left Hong Kong on June 27 before he was served with the summons
Hong Kong’s justice department is seeking arrest warrants for two activists accused of fleeing the city after taking part in this year’s banned June 4 candlelight vigil marking the Tiananmen crackdown.
Nathan Law Kwun-chung and Sunny Cheung Kwan-yang, who left Hong Kong before Tuesday’s hearing at West Kowloon Court, were among 26 opposition figures charged over the unauthorised assembly in Victoria Park this summer.
“We insist that condemning the Tiananmen massacre is no crime. We will keep up with the struggle,” said Lee Cheuk-yan, who is one of the 26 and chairman of vigil organiser, the Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China.
Joshua Wong, Nathan Law among 24 charged over roles in banned June 4 vigil
In a joint hearing for the 39 charges, prosecutor Anthony Chau Tin-hang said Cheung, a former student leader, left the city on August 14, eight days after police notified him of the summons.
On Tuesday evening, Cheung disclosed on Facebook that he had left the city, but stopped short of revealing his location out of “safety” and “strategic” concerns.
He posted: “I hope that I can return to this land in the short future. As always, I will make the best of my position and knowledge to fight alongside all Hongkongers. I don’t know when we can meet again after today.”
Cheung added that he was hesitant about leaving before the national security law came into force, but the political situation between China and the United States, as well as harassment of his partner and family, sealed his decision in August.
Law, a former lawmaker, left Hong Kong on June 27 before he was served with the summons, Chau said.
Chau asked Principal Magistrate Peter Law Tak-chuen to order their arrests on the grounds they had absconded from the criminal proceedings, but admitted he did not have direct evidence to prove the two ran away to avoid prosecution.
The magistrate said he would handle the application in the next hearing once the prosecution had submitted written proof showing the summonses had been duly served on the pair.
He adjourned the hearing to October 15 to allow time for prosecutors to prepare documents to move the cases to the District Court for trial. He rejected prosecutors’ request to impose a travel ban on the remaining 24 defendants.
National security law: Hong Kong activist Nathan Law reveals he has left city
Police this year banned the annual candlelight gathering on June 4 for the first time in three decades, citing public health concerns over the Covid-19 pandemic, prompting an outcry from the United States and the European Union.
The first batch of defendants included Lai and 12 others, of whom 10 are standing committee members of the alliance. They were charged with inciting others to take part in the assembly.
The prosecution on Tuesday laid additional counts of knowingly participating in an unauthorised assembly against the 12.
Law, Wong, Cheung and fellow activist Gwyneth Ho Kwai-lam each face one count of taking part in an unauthorised assembly, as do lawmakers Wu Chi-wai and Eddie Chu Hoi-dick, as well as district councillors Leung Kwok-wah, Lester Shum, Tiffany Yuen Ka-wai and Jannelle Rosalynne Leung.
Law, who is now in Britain, was accused of inciting secession and collusion with foreign and external forces to endanger national security.
