Barrister charged for social media posts - Latest News
On 22 October 2021, the court granted Chow Hang-tung and other four former leaders bail. However, Chow Hang-tung and Simon Leung applied for the revocation of their own bail as it was granted under the condition of a restriction of freedom of expression. Once on bail, they will not be allowed to make public comments that «could be perceived as endangering national security».
Chow told the court that «If I am made to choose between personal liberty and freedom of expression, I will choose the latter».
Although the court rejected their application and decided to grant them bail, Chow remains remanded in custody under the charge of inciting subversion.
On 9 September 2021, Chow Hang-tung, along with two other prominent veteran politicians Albert Ho and Lee Cheuk-yan, were charged with «inciting subversion of state power».
(Article: Hong Kong: Demise of vigil group shows marking Tiananmen crackdown will not be tolerated)
At the time of being charged, they were the chair and vice-chairs of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China (the Alliance), the organizer of the world’s biggest annual commemoration of the Tiananmen crackdown. The authorities accused the Alliance of inciting subversion of state power.
The National Security Police started an investigation of the Alliance, accusing it of being a foreign agent. The authorities used the annual candlelight vigil as evidence of the group «endangering national security».
On 8 September 2021, Chow and three former leaders of the Alliance, Simon Leung Kam-wai, Tang Ngok-kwan and Chan Dor-wai, were arrested after they refused to comply with the authorities’ request to submit information about the Alliance’s members, staff, and partner organizations. Another former leader Tsui Hon-kwong was arrested two days after.
The overly broad definitions of the National Security Law has given the authorities free rein to silent dissent and crack down on civil society organizations. Apart from the Alliance, the national security police also used their extensive power granted by the law to investigate activists and other civil society organizations.
