https://www.scmp.com/rss/295605/feed Benny Tai Yiu-ting, born in 1964, is an associate professor of law at the University of Hong Kong. He initiated the Occupy Central with Love and Peace campaign in January 2013, demanding universal suffrage by "international standards" for the 2017 Chief Executive election and 2020 Legislative Council Elections. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Matthew Cheng,Natalie Wong Matthew Cheng,Natalie Wong A Hong Kong court has dismissed appeals by 12 opposition activists to overturn their convictions or reduce their sentences in the city’s largest national security case, upholding a finding that an unofficial 2020 primary election was subversive and that the seven-year starting point for jail terms was not “manifestly excessive”. The Court of Appeal on Monday also upheld the acquittal of barrister Lawrence Lau Wai-chung, one of the 47 activists prosecuted in the landmark case of conspiracy to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3344367/hong-kong-court-dismisses-appeal-12-activists-over-landmark-subversion-case?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3344367/hong-kong-court-dismisses-appeal-12-activists-over-landmark-subversion-case?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Feb 2026 12:15:17 +0000 Natalie Wong,Matthew Cheng,Edith Lin,Brian Wong Natalie Wong,Matthew Cheng,Edith Lin,Brian Wong Hong Kong’s Court of Appeal has dismissed the appeals by 12 opposition activists seeking to overturn their convictions or have their sentences reduced, following the city’s largest national security trial to date. The appellate court on Monday also upheld the acquittal of one of 47 defendants prosecuted in the high-profile case of conspiracy to subvert state power. A heavy police presence was seen outside the West Kowloon Court on Monday morning, with around 100 officers stationed at the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3344284/hong-kong-court-rule-appeals-activists-largest-national-security-trial?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3344284/hong-kong-court-rule-appeals-activists-largest-national-security-trial?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Feb 2026 01:31:22 +0000 Jess Ma Jess Ma Andrew Chiu Ka-yin, one of the prosecution witnesses jailed in a landmark subversion case involving 47 Hong Kong activists, has become the first national security offender to obtain early release, the Post has learned. A source also confirmed that Chiu, whose seven-year sentence was due to end in early 2028, left prison on Tuesday after being granted release for good behaviour. His release two years ahead of his original sentence makes him the first national security convict to secure remission... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3330678/hong-kong-activist-andrew-chiu-first-national-security-convict-be-freed-early?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3330678/hong-kong-activist-andrew-chiu-first-national-security-convict-be-freed-early?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Oct 2025 15:34:00 +0000 Emily Hung Emily Hung Three more activists among the 47 Hong Kong opposition figures charged in the city’s largest national security case for conspiracy to commit subversion have been released from prison. Former union leader Carol Ng Man-yee, and activists Nathan Lau Chak-fung and Frankie Fung Tat-chun were the third batch of defendants in the landmark case to complete their jail terms. They were sentenced to four years and five months in prison. The trio, who pleaded guilty, were sent separately to their residences... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3319788/hong-kong-47-third-batch-opposition-activists-freed-after-4-years-prison?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3319788/hong-kong-47-third-batch-opposition-activists-freed-after-4-years-prison?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Jul 2025 03:16:32 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong A Hong Kong court has started hearing appeals lodged by 11 opposition figures jailed for conspiracy to subvert state power following the city’s largest national security trial, while the government is seeking to overturn a defendant’s acquittal in the high-profile case. Legal counsel for the 11 appellants on Monday urged an appellate court to refrain from adjudicating on “political matters”, saying that any “peaceful” attempt to force the government to accede to a political agenda should be... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3318192/hong-kong-47-court-begins-hearing-appeals-against-activists-convictions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3318192/hong-kong-47-court-begins-hearing-appeals-against-activists-convictions?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Jul 2025 14:27:29 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong Former Hong Kong media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying has admitted to pushing for an unofficial legislative “primary” election to be held five years ago, with his efforts extending to obtaining a quote for vote-counting software and advising on the best timing to hold the poll. Lai said on Wednesday he was not involved in the poll’s organisation, but conceded that he “did not tell the truth” when he previously told his marathon trial he was “not conscious” of a plan for the election to be held in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3297513/jimmy-lai-admits-pushing-unofficial-hong-kong-legco-primary?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3297513/jimmy-lai-admits-pushing-unofficial-hong-kong-legco-primary?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Feb 2025 13:14:46 +0000 Four Hong Kong opposition figures have become the first to lodge appeals against their convictions and sentences in the city’s biggest national security trial after being jailed for more than six years for subversion. A court document released on Wednesday showed activist Owen Chow Ka-shing, former Democratic Party lawmaker Helena Wong Pik-wan, former district councillor Clarisse Yeung Suet-ying and ex-hospital worker Winnie Yu Wai-ming were representing themselves in the appeal proceedings. A... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3288320/hong-kong-47-first-appeals-filed-citys-largest-national-security-case?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3288320/hong-kong-47-first-appeals-filed-citys-largest-national-security-case?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Nov 2024 06:17:28 +0000 Danny Mok Danny Mok The central government’s liaison office in Hong Kong has voiced its “firm support” for the jailing of 45 opposition figures for trying to overthrow the government and has condemned the US and other countries for “attacks” against the city’s judicial system. The comments came two days after a court sentenced the opposition figures for conspiring to subvert state power through a “primary” election held four years ago in the aftermath of anti-government protests. The sentences ranged from four... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3287604/beijing-voices-support-jailing-45-hong-kong-opposition-activists?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3287604/beijing-voices-support-jailing-45-hong-kong-opposition-activists?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Nov 2024 15:32:09 +0000 The jailing of 45 opposition figures for a plot to subvert state power is a landmark for Hong Kong’s judicial system, bringing the city’s biggest and longest-running national security case to an end. Three judges delivered an 82-page ruling giving reasons for imposing sentences of up to 10 years on the former politicians and activists, including ex-lawmakers and district councillors. The jail terms have been condemned by Western governments. But the legal process, which included a 118-day trial,... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3287440/subversion-sentences-close-difficult-chapter-hong-kong-rule-law-prevails?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3287440/subversion-sentences-close-difficult-chapter-hong-kong-rule-law-prevails?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 Nov 2024 22:15:09 +0000 The United States has vowed to impose new visa restrictions on Hong Kong officials after 45 opposition activists were jailed for subversion, with former legal scholar Benny Tai Yiu-ting receiving the toughest penalty for orchestrating an unauthorised legislative “primary” election. Washington had previously imposed economic sanctions and other restrictions against the city after Beijing enacted the sweeping national security law in 2020 as its response to the months-long social unrest the year... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3287417/us-threatens-sanctions-what-hong-kong-can-expect-after-jailing-45-activists?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3287417/us-threatens-sanctions-what-hong-kong-can-expect-after-jailing-45-activists?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 Nov 2024 10:53:01 +0000 1. Multiple injuries as car crashes into children outside primary school; driver detained A car crash outside a primary school in Hunan, China, injured several children, sparking outrage as the nation reels from a recent mass hit-and-run and a deadly knife attack. 2. Hong Kong 47: Benny Tai jailed over plot to overthrow government The former legal academic faces a decade in jail for his role in a 2020 unofficial election plan to overthrow the Hong Kong government, alongside 44 other activists... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3287335/car-hits-children-outside-school-toxic-smog-crisis-can-be-seen-space-6-our-latest-news-videos?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3287335/car-hits-children-outside-school-toxic-smog-crisis-can-be-seen-space-6-our-latest-news-videos?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 Nov 2024 05:41:20 +0000 Hong Kong authorities have hit out at the US after the country vowed to impose fresh sanctions in the form of visa restrictions on multiple officials responsible for implementing the national security law in response to the jailing of 45 opposition figures for subversion. Washington issued the promise after the 45 activists, from an original group of 47, were jailed for between four years and two months and 10 years over their roles in a plot to overthrow the Hong Kong government in 2020. Former... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3287310/united-states-vows-more-sanctions-hong-kong-officials-after-45-activists-jailed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3287310/united-states-vows-more-sanctions-hong-kong-officials-after-45-activists-jailed?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 Nov 2024 01:38:07 +0000 Forty-five Hong Kong opposition figures were jailed on Tuesday for four to 10 years for their participation in a plot to overthrow the government in 2020, with former legal scholar Benny Tai Yiu-ting receiving the stiffest sentence for masterminding an unauthorised legislative “primary” election to subvert state power. The sentencing brought to a close the city’s largest and longest-running national security trial that had initially involved a group of 47 accused of plotting to ride on the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3287288/hong-kong-47-45-activists-jailed-4-10-years-over-plot-overthrow-government?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3287288/hong-kong-47-45-activists-jailed-4-10-years-over-plot-overthrow-government?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Nov 2024 15:47:12 +0000 Four former Hong Kong lawmakers found guilty in a landmark national security trial, including Claudia Mo Man-ching, will be released in about six months’ time as they have already spent nearly four years in custody. Three judges ended the city’s largest and longest-running trial under the Beijing-decreed national security law on Tuesday by jailing 45 of the 47 activists prosecuted over their roles in an unofficial legislative “primary” election that was part of a plot to bring down the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3287276/hong-kong-47-when-will-jailed-activists-landmark-national-security-trial-be-released?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3287276/hong-kong-47-when-will-jailed-activists-landmark-national-security-trial-be-released?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Nov 2024 13:01:53 +0000 A Hong Kong court has ruled that a subversive scheme devised by the now-decimated opposition camp to coerce authorities into giving in to protesters’ demands is as egregious as a violent attack on the city government. Three High Court judges issued the ruling on Tuesday for their sentencing of 45 former politicians and activists involved in an illegal legislative “primary” election four years ago. The defendants were among a group of 47 charged with conspiracy to subvert state power in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3287261/hong-kong-47-court-rules-subversion-scheme-severe-violent-attack-against-government?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3287261/hong-kong-47-court-rules-subversion-scheme-severe-violent-attack-against-government?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Nov 2024 11:30:12 +0000 Hundreds of Hong Kong residents showed up to witness the sentencing in a landmark national security trial on Tuesday, with some family and friends of the 45 politicians and activists imprisoned bidding farewell to their loved ones in court as others outside were told to leave after the public gallery was filled. A crowd had gathered overnight at West Kowloon Court, with some reportedly started queuing up as early as Saturday. More than 200 residents had joined a winding queue before 7am on... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3287256/hong-kong-47-crowds-throng-court-family-supporters-bid-farewell-jailed-opposition-figures?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3287256/hong-kong-47-crowds-throng-court-family-supporters-bid-farewell-jailed-opposition-figures?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Nov 2024 10:50:40 +0000 A Hong Kong court is set to sentence 45 former opposition politicians and activists on Tuesday for conspiring to subvert state power through an unofficial legislative “primary” election four years ago, with dozens of residents queuing for public gallery seats days in advance as police secured the area. Authorities have stepped up security around the West Kowloon Law Courts Building since the weekend, setting up wedge barriers and cordoning off pathways as they get ready for the final act of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3287004/hong-kong-47-dozens-queue-outside-court-ahead-sentencing-45-opposition-activists?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3287004/hong-kong-47-dozens-queue-outside-court-ahead-sentencing-45-opposition-activists?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Nov 2024 05:16:59 +0000 A lawyer seeking leniency for one of 45 Hong Kong opposition figures convicted of conspiracy to subvert state power has raised eyebrows by suggesting that judges sentence them by referring to mainland China court precedents. The second session of mitigation proceedings in the city’s largest national security trial began at West Kowloon Court on Tuesday, with six former district councillors pleading for lighter punishments. The defendants highlighted that their roles were limited and that the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3268904/hong-kong-47-lawyer-creates-stir-suggesting-court-looks-mainland-china-legal-precedent?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3268904/hong-kong-47-lawyer-creates-stir-suggesting-court-looks-mainland-china-legal-precedent?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Jul 2024 12:15:29 +0000 A Hong Kong court has rejected legal scholar Benny Tai Yiu-ting’s contention that it should not take into account his actions before the 2020 implementation of the national security law when deciding his sentence for subversion. The three judges overseeing the critical mitigation proceedings in the city’s largest national security trial on Wednesday highlighted the relevance of past conduct in the sentencing of Tai, who is among 45 opposition figures convicted of conspiracy to subvert state... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3268084/hong-kong-47-benny-tais-pre-security-law-actions-relevant-sentencing-judges-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3268084/hong-kong-47-benny-tais-pre-security-law-actions-relevant-sentencing-judges-say?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Jun 2024 05:33:33 +0000 Legal scholar Benny Tai Yiu-ting should be sentenced to two years in jail for devising an unofficial Hong Kong legislative “primary” election in 2020, his lawyer has argued, rejecting the prosecution’s call for at least 10 years for those convicted of subversion for organising the poll. But the three High Court judges overseeing the case expressed doubts on Tuesday over what the defence counsel said was the “rather limited” role Tai played in a scheme to bring down the government. One judge also... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3267902/hong-kong-47-benny-tai-4-others-begin-critical-mitigation-pleas-over-subversion-convictions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3267902/hong-kong-47-benny-tai-4-others-begin-critical-mitigation-pleas-over-subversion-convictions?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Jun 2024 02:14:36 +0000 A Hong Kong court is to hear pleas in mitigation on Tuesday for five opposition figures found guilty of conspiring to subvert state power through an unofficial “primary” election for the legislature four years ago. Legal academic Benny Tai Yiu-ting, said to be the architect of the primary and who will turn 60 next month, will appear at West Kowloon Court with others. He will be joined by ex-lawmaker Au Nok-hin, former district councillors Andrew Chiu Ka-yin and Ben Chung Kam-lun, as well as... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3267879/mitigation-pleas-benny-tai-and-4-others-convicted-subversion-conspiracy-over-unofficial-legco?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3267879/mitigation-pleas-benny-tai-and-4-others-convicted-subversion-conspiracy-over-unofficial-legco?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Jun 2024 01:00:26 +0000 Hong Kong’s leader has called on residents to stay vigilant against national security risks, saying the recent subversion convictions of opposition figures have reflected real threats to the city. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said on Tuesday the court’s verdict concluding that 45 of the 47 activists in an unofficial election to preselect Legislative Council candidates were guilty of subversion had suggested that an “indiscriminate” veto of government budgets would contravene the Basic Law,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3265301/we-must-stay-vigilant-hong-kong-leader-john-lee-urges-people-guard-against-national-security-threats?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3265301/we-must-stay-vigilant-hong-kong-leader-john-lee-urges-people-guard-against-national-security-threats?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Jun 2024 05:36:09 +0000 Fourteen opposition figures were found guilty of subversion while two were acquitted over an election plot to topple the Hong Kong government, as the city’s biggest and longest-running national security trial reached a verdict on Thursday. The 16 were from a group of 47 politicians and activists prosecuted under the Beijing-imposed national security law when they held an unofficial “primary” election for opposition parties in 2020, which three High Court judges found was part of a wider plot to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3264759/hong-kong-47-14-opposition-figures-found-guilty-subversion-2-acquitted-over-election-plot-topple?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3264759/hong-kong-47-14-opposition-figures-found-guilty-subversion-2-acquitted-over-election-plot-topple?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 May 2024 13:37:57 +0000 Three Hong Kong judges will announce on Thursday amid a heavy police presence whether 16 opposition politicians and activists have breached the national security law by conspiring to subvert state power through their participation in an unofficial legislative primary election four years ago. The 16 accused were among 47 people prosecuted for what Beijing called a “blatant challenge” to the law after an estimated 610,000 voters cast their ballot in July 2020 to pick their ideal candidates for the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3264604/hong-kong-47-trial-court-rule-16-opposition-figures-over-subversion-charges-plot-topple-then-chief?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3264604/hong-kong-47-trial-court-rule-16-opposition-figures-over-subversion-charges-plot-topple-then-chief?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 May 2024 12:00:16 +0000 A failed attempt by 47 Hong Kong opposition figures to win control of the legislature through an unofficial primary election would have been capable of subverting state power even if no violence was used, a court has heard. West Kowloon Court on Wednesday started to hear closing submissions from prosecutors and counsel for 16 of the group who denied a charge of taking part in a conspiracy to commit subversion, one of four offences criminalised by the Beijing-imposed 2020 national security... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3243273/hong-kong-47-court-hears-closing-submissions-conspiracy-commit-subversion-charges-over-unofficial?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3243273/hong-kong-47-court-hears-closing-submissions-conspiracy-commit-subversion-charges-over-unofficial?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Nov 2023 12:08:23 +0000 China is criticised in the West for suppressing democratic rights in Hong Kong, restricting the freedoms of speech and public protest, and arresting and imprisoning “dissident” political activists. Yet Hong Kong’s situation resembles that faced by many Western countries – the political tensions that give rise to national security threats are a product of complex internal factors. The sensible option is to leave it to the national authorities in all but a very few special human rights cases. For... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3241141/human-rights-vs-national-security-whether-its-hong-kong-us-or-germany-all-must-find-their-own?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3241141/human-rights-vs-national-security-whether-its-hong-kong-us-or-germany-all-must-find-their-own?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Nov 2023 01:30:14 +0000 A police informant in Hong Kong’s largest national security trial has admitted to submitting as evidence unauthorised recordings from an opposition camp meeting on holding an unofficial primary election, arguing their goals ran contrary to “society’s interests”. The source, who cannot be named due to a gag order, on Tuesday denied infiltrating the opposition camp to gather evidence and insisted he had taped the private discussions in May 2020 for his own “research”. But he dodged questions about... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3219952/hong-kong-47-witness-admits-giving-recordings-meeting-unofficial-primary-police-says-groups-goals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3219952/hong-kong-47-witness-admits-giving-recordings-meeting-unofficial-primary-police-says-groups-goals?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 May 2023 10:29:16 +0000 A US artist on Thursday accused the Hong Kong government of removing his artwork which flashed the names of opposition activists on a giant screen in the city centre a day after a pro-Beijing newspaper suggested the piece promoted violence. The digital artwork No Rioters, 2023, by Los Angeles-based artist Patrick Amadon, which featured a panning surveillance camera on a black and red background and momentary flashes of activists’ information, was shown on the giant LED screen in Causeway Bay,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3214602/us-artist-says-work-featuring-names-hong-kong-opposition-activists-removed-screen-busy-shopping-area?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3214602/us-artist-says-work-featuring-names-hong-kong-opposition-activists-removed-screen-busy-shopping-area?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Mar 2023 10:02:40 +0000 The nature of a 2020 legislative primary election changed from selecting the best candidates among Hong Kong’s opposition camp to an “insane” blueprint for “mutual destruction” after its driving force pushed to incorporate the agenda into the unofficial event, a one-time ally turned prosecution witness has told a subversion trial. Au Nok-hin, an ex-politician, on Wednesday said it was “regrettable” that former law professor Benny Tai Yiu-ting had written a series of articles that favoured... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3212852/hong-kong-47-witness-tells-court-2020-hong-kong-opposition-primary-plan-turned-insane-proposal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3212852/hong-kong-47-witness-tells-court-2020-hong-kong-opposition-primary-plan-turned-insane-proposal?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Mar 2023 13:35:06 +0000 A veteran Hong Kong opposition politician who was stripped of his civic honours alongside two of his allies over their jail sentences has said he had no regrets, arguing his participation in an unauthorised assembly was a matter of conscience. Former Democratic Party chairman Yeung Sum, who was released from prison in April after completing a 14-month sentence for taking part in an unauthorised assembly during the 2019 social unrest, also said on Friday that he had not appealed against the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3181203/occupy-co-founder-benny-tai-2-other-opposition-veterans?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3181203/occupy-co-founder-benny-tai-2-other-opposition-veterans?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Jun 2022 07:21:52 +0000 Former Hong Kong law professor and opposition activist Benny Tai Yiu-ting has been sentenced to 10 months’ jail for illegally incurring election expenses through newspaper advertisements to promote a tactical voting scheme ahead of the 2016 Legislative Council poll. The judge said Tai’s action influenced fairness of the election and warranted immediate imprisonment, but reduced his sentence from 18 months after considering unreasonable delays in prosecution. Tai, 57, appeared peaceful when he... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3178925/ex-hong-kong-academic-and-opposition-activist-benny?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3178925/ex-hong-kong-academic-and-opposition-activist-benny?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 May 2022 07:27:45 +0000 Former Hong Kong law professor Benny Tai Yiu-ting has pleaded guilty to four counts of illegally incurring election expenses through newspaper advertisements to promote a tactical voting scheme ahead of the 2016 Legislative Council poll. Tai, 57, appeared at the District Court on Monday alongside two others to admit the breaches in connection with the “ThunderGo” strategy that was aimed at maximising the chances of opposition hopefuls in the election. Giving his preliminary observation ahead of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3175425/former-hong-kong-academic-and-occupy-founder-benny-tai?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3175425/former-hong-kong-academic-and-occupy-founder-benny-tai?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Apr 2022 07:09:31 +0000 Former Hong Kong law professor Benny Tai Yiu-ting will face his charges of illegal conduct during the 2016 Legislative Council polls at the District Court, where the maximum sentence is seven years. Prosecutors on Friday applied to transfer the case to the higher court as the 57-year-old Tai and his co-defendants – psychologist Ip Kim-ching, 55, and Sek Sau-ching, 50 – made their first appearance at Eastern Court after the charges were laid four days ago. The change of venue was granted by... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3143105/former-hong-kong-law-professor-benny-tais-election-expense?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3143105/former-hong-kong-law-professor-benny-tais-election-expense?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Jul 2021 03:37:04 +0000 Former Hong Kong law professor Benny Tai Yiu-ting has been charged with illegally incurring election expenses through the purchase of newspaper adverts to promote a tactical voting scheme ahead of the 2016 Legislative Council polls.   The Occupy movement co-founder, already in jail awaiting trial under the national security law, was one of three people charged on Monday with engaging in illegal conduct during the 2016 race by racking up expenses despite not being a candidate. The investigation... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3142514/hong-kong-law-professor-activist-benny-tai-hit-corruption?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3142514/hong-kong-law-professor-activist-benny-tai-hit-corruption?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Jul 2021 05:10:53 +0000 Some 365 days after the imposition of a sweeping national security law, Hong Kong has changed irrevocably. Advocates argue the law was badly needed to protect national sovereignty, after radical anti-China elements called for foreign intervention, and that it had brought an end to months of anti-government protests. It restored order and brought business back to the city, supporters have said. But critics decry that the law has been weaponised and used to silence political dissent, crush all... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3139363/year-under-hong-kongs-national-security-law-mass-arrests?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3139363/year-under-hong-kongs-national-security-law-mass-arrests?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Jun 2021 15:08:09 +0000 Eleven of the 47 Hong Kong opposition activists charged in the city’s largest national security law crackdown to date have been denied bail for a second time, while 10 others withdrew their challenges at the last minute. Chief Magistrate Victor So Wai-tak on Friday reviewed the bail applications from 21 of the defendants accused of subversion in relation to an unofficial primary election last summer. Those who failed again at West Kowloon Court to secure temporary release were former lawmakers... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3125152/national-security-law-bail-denied-again-11-47-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3125152/national-security-law-bail-denied-again-11-47-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Mar 2021 05:33:20 +0000 One of the co-founders of Hong Kong’s Occupy Central movement, Benny Tai Yiu-ting, has been sent back to jail to await the outcome of his appeal against his conviction and prison sentence over the 2014 protests. The Court of Appeal reserved judgment on the long-awaited appeal on Thursday, and revoked Tai’s bail at the conclusion of the three-day hearing. Prosecutors had objected to Tai’s release on the grounds he was “alleged to have committed a crime” while out on court bail. Tai is among the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3124100/benny-tai-sent-back-jail-await-hong-kong-courts-ruling?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3124100/benny-tai-sent-back-jail-await-hong-kong-courts-ruling?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Mar 2021 09:56:53 +0000 The three founders of 2014’s Occupy Central movement engaged in what was merely a “conspiracy to inspire”, not one to create a public nuisance – the actual charge they were convicted of five years later – their lawyers have argued on appeal. Opening the three-day appeal at the High Court on Tuesday, solicitor advocate Eric Cheung Tat-ming said this was the first case in Hong Kong in which the organisers of a peaceful demonstration had been charged with conspiracy and incitement, and severely... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3123820/hong-kong-court-hears-occupy-co-founders-engaged?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3123820/hong-kong-court-hears-occupy-co-founders-engaged?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Mar 2021 16:30:09 +0000 A total of 47 opposition activists were charged under the national security law on Sunday with conspiring to subvert state power over their roles in an unofficial primary run-off election authorities linked to a plot to overthrow the government. While prosecutors on Monday argued in court that the group’s plan to take control of the 70-member Legislative Council at the now-postponed elections was part of a wider push to paralyse the administration, authorities have been accused of trying to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3123656/why-have-hong-kongs-opposition-figures-been-charged?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3123656/why-have-hong-kongs-opposition-figures-been-charged?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Mar 2021 14:29:41 +0000 A top Beijing official overseeing Hong Kong affairs has reaffirmed the importance of “patriots” governing the city in a speech to pro-establishment figures in Shenzhen, with state media reporting that those in attendance unanimously agreed that the time had come for a comprehensive overhaul of the local political system. Xia Baolong, director of the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, said on Monday that he believed that the majority of the city’s residents were indeed patriotic,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3123632/senior-beijing-official-calls-three-extremely-bad-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3123632/senior-beijing-official-calls-three-extremely-bad-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Mar 2021 11:11:28 +0000 A group of opposition activists in Hong Kong who organised a primary election said to have breached the national security law by attempting to overthrow the government disbanded on Saturday. The announcement came a day before 52 former opposition lawmakers and activists were expected to report to police over their arrests on subversion charges relating to the vote, with some believing they would be prosecuted. Power for Democracy announced the move on its Facebook page, saying committee members... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3123444/hong-kong-opposition-activists-disband-power-democracy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3123444/hong-kong-opposition-activists-disband-power-democracy?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Feb 2021 15:28:30 +0000 Fifty-two opposition activists, including Benny Tai Yiu-ting, who were arrested last month on suspicion of subversion in the biggest crackdown under Hong Kong’s national security law had their bail extended on Wednesday. But three others who were also detained in the large-scale police operation – Joshua Wong Chi-fung, former Democratic Party chairman Wu Chi-wai, and People Power’s Tam Tak-chi – remained in custody in connection with other cases. Tai, the architect of the opposition’s primary... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3121358/hong-kong-opposition-activists-detained-mass-national?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3121358/hong-kong-opposition-activists-detained-mass-national?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Feb 2021 13:22:24 +0000 The arrest of 53 people earlier this month in Hong Kong on suspicion of subversion has, once again, led to a frenzy of condemnation by Western leaders and the media. All those arrested have been released on police bail as investigations continue. These are likely to take some time. Most of the 53 are “pro-democrats” who sought to take part in the September 2020 Legislative Council elections (since postponed); the rest are organisers of an event known as the “35-plus” primaries which took place... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3119167/mass-arrests-sinister-aspect-democrats-35-plus-primaries-strategy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3119167/mass-arrests-sinister-aspect-democrats-35-plus-primaries-strategy?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Jan 2021 03:30:16 +0000 The biggest mass arrests made under the national security law have netted more than 50 former opposition legislators and activists for their part in the so-called primary election run-off last July. Benny Tai Yiu-ting, a former law lecturer who was among those arrested, has been singled out as a mastermind. The irony is that others such as Helena Wong Pik-wang didn’t even win the primary. Would the poll by itself have breached the national security law and triggered the latest arrests? To answer... https://www.scmp.com/article/3117021/deep-question-lies-behind-hong-kong-mass-arrests?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/3117021/deep-question-lies-behind-hong-kong-mass-arrests?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Jan 2021 16:48:05 +0000 Former opposition lawmakers and activists detained on suspicion of subversion under Hong Kong’s national security law decried their mass arrest as a bid to crush dissent, after they were freed on bail on Thursday evening without charge but barred from leaving the city. Despite being held for questioning for more than 30 hours, many of the released remained defiant and slammed the crackdown as absurd. Several said their participation in primary elections last year was the only link to the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3116729/national-security-law-hong-kong-opposition-lawmakers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3116729/national-security-law-hong-kong-opposition-lawmakers?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Jan 2021 02:58:07 +0000 More than 50 former opposition lawmakers and activists were arrested on Wednesday on subversion charges in the biggest crackdown yet under Hong Kong’s national security law, with authorities accusing them of a plot to “overthrow” the government. Nearly 1,000 police officers conducted raids across the city, detaining 53 people accused of organising or involvement in the pan-democratic camp’s unofficial, primary run-off election last July in which 610,000 voters took part. Officials said the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3116573/dozens-hong-kong-opposition-lawmakers-activists?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3116573/dozens-hong-kong-opposition-lawmakers-activists?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Jan 2021 23:54:31 +0000 From over-the-top induction activities for freshmen to rowdy protests at convocation and graduation ceremonies, students in local universities make headlines for the wrong reasons from time to time. While the Covid-19 pandemic and social-distancing restrictions have dampened such incidents, a spoof of the University of Hong Kong’s welcome video has stirred controversy. The two-minute clip by the student-run Campus TV welcomed students to the “University of Xiang Gang”, the Mandarin romanisation... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3100395/parody-video-may-fuel-further-mistrust?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3100395/parody-video-may-fuel-further-mistrust?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 05 Sep 2020 17:46:50 +0000 More than 3,900 academics, students and members of the public have signed a petition calling on two Hong Kong universities to retract their decisions to sack a pair of academics over their involvement in the 2014 Occupy Central protests. The joint petition said the dismissal of Benny Tai Yiu-ting, a law scholar at the University of Hong Kong, and Baptist University social work lecturer Shiu Ka-chun was reflective of the political repression facing dissidents as well as shrinking academic freedom... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3097510/academics-students-sign-petition-calling-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3097510/academics-students-sign-petition-calling-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Aug 2020 09:42:08 +0000 As an undergraduate student reading law and politics at the University of Hong Kong, I think I have to agree with Benny Tai Yiu-ting, my former teacher, that his dismissal over the convictions from the Occupy Central movement marked “the end of academic freedom in Hong Kong”. An HKU statement said it had acted “in light of the judgment of the courts” and decided on termination for “good cause”. HKU’s mission is to develop a pluralistic and supportive intellectual environment for scholars and... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3096955/hong-kong-protests-firing-benny-tai-did-mark-end-academic-freedom?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3096955/hong-kong-protests-firing-benny-tai-did-mark-end-academic-freedom?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Aug 2020 22:30:06 +0000 Last month, the American Political Science Association announced it would relocate an upcoming workshop, themed “Contentious Politics and its Repercussions in Asia”, to Seoul, South Korea, due to concerns Hong Kong’s new national security law would “limit free academic inquiry and exchange”. Also last month, the Association for Asian Studies, which has about 6,500 members worldwide, called on universities to be “extremely cautious” about recording, storing and transmitting recordings of... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3096370/national-security-law-hong-kong-scholars-fear-unknown?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3096370/national-security-law-hong-kong-scholars-fear-unknown?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Aug 2020 23:30:08 +0000