Hong Kong judge opens protest-related trial with warning against political displays
- District Judge Stanley Chan Kwong-chi says he ‘will not accept, or allow, any tools and documents bearing political statements’
- The warning came a week after a different judge sparked debate for ejecting people from the courtroom for wearing face masks appearing to bear a political slogan
District Judge Stanley Chan Kwong-chi also reminded members of the public in his courtroom not to jeer or make noise, before prosecutors began presenting their case against four defendants accused of taking part in an unlawful assembly in Whampoa in August of 2019.
Opening the hearing, Chan – the only District Court judge publicly known to have been designated to handle national security cases – told those present: “The court will not accept, or allow, any tools and documents bearing political statements.”
His pointed reminders came a week after a different judge removed people wearing yellow masks bearing the acronym “FDNOL” – a likely reference to the protest slogan “Five demands, not one less” – from his courtroom to prevent the hearing from turning into what he termed “a venue for political disputes and tussles”.
That decision sparked debate among legal scholars and experts. While some argued the district judge, Ernest Lin Kam-hung, was entitled to ban silent political protests in the courtroom, others urged him to exercise his power more proportionately.