Lawyers for 12 Hongkongers captured at sea jointly demand mainland Chinese authorities grant them access
- Four lawyers reject demand for additional notarised documents at gates of Shenzhen facility, saying they are not legally required, according to source
- After being turned away, the group filed a complaint over their treatment at the district’s public security bureau
To date, none of the appointed lawyers have been able to visit the suspects, who are detained on the mainland on suspicion of crossing the border illegally. Most of the 12 are wanted in Hong Kong in connection to investigations into last year’s anti-government protests.
Mainland authorities have previously denied repeated requests by several lawyers to meet the fugitives, and asked them to drop the cases.
Hong Kong security minister John Lee Ka-chiu on Sunday prompted a backlash from the families after saying the 12 had already “selected lawyers” from a list approved by mainland authorities.
Families of fugitives take case to Hong Kong police, push for marine radar data
In Wednesday’s joint action, the four mainland lawyers visited the detention facility in Shenzhen’s Yantian district, requesting meetings with their clients.
“I’ve brought notarised documents with me … If you send me off again this time, you’re trying to trick us,” a source, who was at the scene, quoted lawyer Fan Biaowen as saying to an officer at the entrance.
He said two plain-clothes officers, who covered their identification cards, spoke to the lawyers one by one, requesting extra notarised documents they said were required by the Supreme People’s Court and the Ministry of Justice.
But the lawyers challenged the demand, saying those requirements only applied to civil cases on the mainland, and demanded immediate access to the suspects.
According to the source, the officers denied that request, reiterating the suspects had already chosen lawyers.
Others included Wu Li, who represents Cheng Tsz-ho, a 17-year-old MTR technician trainee charged with conspiracy to commit arson with intent, and Song Yusheng, who represents Cheung Chun-fu, a 22-year-old university student charged with conspiracy to wound with intent.
Hong Kong rules out intervening in case of 12 arrested at sea
Liang said the lawyers’ group proceeded to the district’s public security bureau in the afternoon to file a complaint over their treatment at the detention centre, after making a statement to an officer.
Over the weekend, family members of the fugitives met Hong Kong police, urging the force to ask its mainland counterparts to provide the exact time, location and process of the sea capture and determine if any of the 12 were injured.
They also pressed for the Marine Department to disclose key data, including radar records of the speedboat in question, to get a clearer picture of the saga.
Meanwhile, opposition politicians have mobilised a postcard-writing campaign to offer support to the arrested group during the coming Mid-Autumn Festival.
