National security law: defendants quit political party, fire their lawyers on third day of marathon hearings in case against 47 opposition figures
- Chief Magistrate Victor So adjourns the protracted proceedings for the third straight night, saying he expects to deliver his decision on bail on Thursday
- Lawyers for the opposition figures also ask for reporting restrictions on the hearings to be lifted, arguing the exemption will benefit the public
Four opposition politicians charged with subversion in Hong Kong’s biggest prosecution to date under the national security law quit their party on Wednesday, sources said, as they continued to press their case for bail with 43 other defendants during a third straight day of marathon hearings.
In a separate twist, just after defence lawyers had finally finished oral submissions on the bail applications for all 47, the four Civic Party members and three other co-defendants also fired their legal representatives and personally appealed to the presiding judge for temporary release under the stringent threshold set by the new legislation for granting bail.
Chief Magistrate Victor So Wai-tak decided to adjourn the protracted proceedings for the third consecutive night to allow time for more speeches from the dock, saying he expected to deliver his long-awaited decision on bail on Thursday.
Sources confirmed that the four opposition politicians – former lawmakers Alvin Yeung Ngok-kiu, Jeremy Tam Man-ho and Kwok Ka-ki, and district councillor Lee Yue-shun – had quit the Civic Party, apparently to distance themselves from the politics that landed them in trouble.
The defendants were first arrested in January for taking part in an unofficial primary election by the opposition camp for last September’s Legislative Council polls, which have since been postponed. Authorities alleged the primary was part of a subversive plot to seize control of the legislature with the ultimate aim of paralysing the government and toppling the city’s leader.