Hong Kong activist Chow Hang-tung faces up to 10 more years in prison
Hong Kong activist Chow Hang-tung, who has been in custody for more than five years, was found guilty along with trade union figure Lee Cheuk-yan and lawyer Albert Ho. In this case, Chow could receive up to 10 more years in prison, according to a The Japan Times column.
The court’s and defence’s positions
According to the court ruling, the judges stressed that the defendants were not tried because of their political views or beliefs. They also said that the charges did not concern democracy, the events of June 4, 1989, or criticism of the central government.
The column’s author notes that Chow and other members of the Hong Kong Alliance publicly used the call to end one-party dictatorship. In the latest case, the activist admitted the charge brought against her but told the court that her statements were not unlawful. She said that standards of good and evil “had been completely reversed” and argued that ending one-party dictatorship would mean ending a state in which the party stands above the law.
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Statement on detention conditions
In 2021, when Hong Kong authorities banned a vigil commemorating the events of June 4, Chow called on people to light candles in different parts of the city. She was sentenced to 15 months in prison for incitement related to that call.
On the eve of the verdict in the latest case, Chow was being held without bail at Tai Lam Prison. In a statement, she described new measures for restraining and transporting prisoners: in addition to handcuffs, she said, leg irons, waist chains and shin chains are used. The activist compared such treatment to prisoners being led “like dogs on a leash.”
Chow said that she does not call what she experienced “real torture,” but believes that prisoners’ comfort and pain are not taken into account when such procedures are designed. According to her, the system’s priority is security, while prisoners have no voice or ability to influence their detention conditions.
