Advertisement
Advertisement
Hong Kong courts
Get more with myNEWS
A personalised news feed of stories that matter to you
Learn more
Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai leaves the High Court in Admiralty after having his travel ban upheld. Photo: Sam Tsang

Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai among 13 opposition figures to be charged over June 4 vigil

  • Media mogul barred from leaving Hong Kong after court upholds travel ban, imposed over another case
  • Lawmaker who took part in commemoration denies they called on anyone to join
Thirteen opposition figures, including media mogul Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, will face prosecution over the banned June 4 vigil in Hong Kong last week to mark the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown.

Lai also failed to have his travel ban lifted on Friday, ahead of another criminal trial, with the High Court dismissing an application by the 72-year-old founder of the tabloid-style Apple Daily newspaper to temporarily leave the city.

As he left the court, Lai did not reply when asked what plans he had for travelling out of town.

The restriction was imposed in early May when he was granted bail after pleading not guilty to one count of criminal intimidation. It was Lai’s second attempt to lift the travel ban; he withdrew his first application later that month. He is scheduled to stand trial for three days from August 19.

06:13

Thousands of Hongkongers defy ban and gather to mark Tiananmen anniversary

Thousands of Hongkongers defy ban and gather to mark Tiananmen anniversary

The owner of Next Digital was accused of threatening to injure a man with the intent to alarm at an earlier June 4 vigil in Victoria Park, Causeway Bay, in 2017.

When he was charged in early May, his bail conditions included a sum of HK$4,000 (US$515), a travel ban, and a requirement to report regularly to Kowloon City Police Station.

Later in May, the High Court allowed him to drop the weekly visit to the police station, while he applied to be able to travel out of town, and withdrew the application later.

In a separate case, Lai and 14 high-profile opposition figures, including veteran democracy campaigner and barrister Martin Lee Chu-ming, face a total of 58 charges in connection with a series of anti-government marches in Causeway Bay on August 18, and in Central on October 1 and October 20.

Tiananmen vigil organisers, Lai face incitement charges: police source

Lai is charged with two counts of organising an unauthorised assembly and two further counts of knowingly taking part in an unauthorised assembly over the marches on August 18 and October 1.

On Thursday, it was revealed Lai and three vigil organisers of this year’s June 4 gathering at Victoria Park would be prosecuted on incitement charges.

On Friday, nine more politicians and activists were told that they would be prosecuted on the same grounds, bringing the number of total arrestees to 13.

They received calls from the police informing them that they would receive a court summons alleging they had incited people to take part in an illegal gathering on June 4, when police had banned large gatherings citing social-distancing rules to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

The nine are standing committee members of vigil organiser the Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China: Andrew Wan Siu-kin, Cheung Man-kwong, Leung Yiu-chung, Mak Hoi-wah, Chiu Yan-loy, Chow Hang-tung and Leung Kam-wai, as well as the Labour Party’s Kwok Wing-kin and Civil Human Rights Front vice-convenor Figo Chan Ho-wun.

Protesters hold an anti-government rally on National Day in Hong Kong last year. Photo: Felix Wong

A police spokesman did not give names but confirmed that court summonses had been issued to eight men and a women for the offence. The case will be taken to court on June 23.

“That day we were only entering the park ourselves. We did not call on anyone to join us,” Wan, also a lawmaker, said. “Police also told us if there was no chaos they would not intervene.”

Wan also noted that police officers were actually deployed to maintain order and guide the crowd that defied the ban and entered the park.

Alliance chairman Lee Cheuk-yan, standing committee members Albert Ho Chun-yan and Richard Tsoi Yiu-cheong, and Jimmy Lai had already been charged for the same offence on Thursday.

Democratic Party lawmaker James To Kun-sun accused the government of breaching the International Bill of Human Rights that recognises the right to peaceful assembly.

I will write to the United Nations Human Rights Committee, calling for concern and investigation
James To, Democratic Party lawmaker

“I will write to the United Nations Human Rights Committee, calling for concern and investigation,” To said.

Next Digital’s board issued a statement saying it had not been informed by Lai, its chairman, that he had received a summons over the incitement case.

“The board believes that Mr Lai has been performing his duties as an executive director of the company wholeheartedly and his recent allegations do not have any material adverse impact on the operation and financial position of the group,” it said.

After police denied – for the first time in 30 years – the alliance’s application for the annual June 4 candlelight vigil on public health grounds, organisers said they would instead hold the event in groups of eight, the limit for public gatherings under Covid-19 restrictions.

The opposition figures then entered the park on the evening of June 4, joined by thousands of others in a peaceful protest. Police were stationed outside the park but did not intervene.

Additional reporting by Chris Lau

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Jimmy Lai fails to lift travel ban as 13 face prosecution over banned vigil
Post