Taiwan groups to rally in support of Hong Kong fugitives held in Shenzhen, as part of global campaign calling for 12 to be freed
- Suspects have been detained in mainland China for the past two months after being captured at sea
- Events planned in 34 cities worldwide this weekend from the United States to Australia
About 50 civic groups in Taiwan will stage a rally on Sunday to demand the release of 12 Hong Kong fugitives who have been detained in mainland China for two months.
Part of a global campaign that will include 34 cities, this weekend’s march will see renewed calls for the release of the fugitives, who were captured at sea by the Chinese coastguard while fleeing to Taiwan on August 23.
Details of the events were unveiled on Thursday, as five lawyers appointed by the families of the detainees – all of whom are wanted in Hong Kong in connection with last year’s anti-government protests – were once again denied the opportunity to meet their clients by Shenzhen authorities.
The lawyers were told that each of the suspects had already hired two legal representatives after waiting for three hours, while a human rights lawyer, who did not attend and asked to remain anonymous, claimed judicial officers had threatened him with the loss of his licence if he refused to drop the case.
“How Shenzhen authorities handled these cases have been absolutely illegal and unacceptable … We seriously doubt if the representations were out of the wills [of the detainees],” Lin Qilei, a family appointed lawyer, said, outside the Yantian district detention centre where the group are being held.