A Hong Kong court has granted partial victory to publishing tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying and six former opposition lawmakers by quashing one of two charges against them for their roles in a banned demonstration during the 2019 anti-government protests.
The Court of Appeal on Monday found the seven opposition figures, including veteran democrat Martin Lee Chu-ming, could not be held liable for organising the assembly-turned-march on Hong Kong Island on August 18, 2019.
But the three presiding judges unanimously upheld the trial court’s finding that the appellants had participated in the unapproved rally.
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The ruling means shorter jail terms for the founder of the now-closed Apple Daily newspaper, Lai, and three others, but all seven have already completed their sentences.
Also among the appellants were former opposition lawmakers Albert Ho Chun-yan, Lee Cheuk-yan, Cyd Ho Sau-lan, “Long Hair” Leung Kwok-hung and Margaret Ng Ngoi-yee.
On the record, Lai’s 12-month jail term was reduced to nine months, while the sentences handed to Lee Cheuk-yan, Leung Kwok-hung and Cyd Ho were knocked down to between five and 12 months.
The seven were convicted in a 2021 trial of organising and taking part in an unauthorised assembly involving about 1.7 million people who had gathered in Victoria Park to express their discontent with police’s handling of protests in 2019, which were sparked by a now-withdrawn extradition bill.
Hong Kong’s High Court rejects bid by Jimmy Lai to drop national security case
District Court Judge Amanda Woodcock handed suspended jail sentences to Martin Lee, Albert Ho and Ng, while sentencing the remaining four to jail for eight to 18 months.
Former politicians Au Nok-hin and Leung Yiu-chung, who received 10 months behind bars and a suspended jail sentence respectively, did not file an appeal.
All nine accused have completed their respective sentences, but Lai, Albert Ho, Lee Cheuk-yan and Leung Kwok-hung and Au remain behind bars for alleged offences under the Beijing-imposed national security law.
Lai is also serving a 69-month jail sentence at the maximum-security Stanley Prison on fraud charges stemming from the improper use of his publication’s office space.
More from South China Morning Post:
- Hong Kong’s High Court chief judge orders Jimmy Lai to pay costs for two legal challenges which were ‘wholly and plainly unarguable’
- Hong Kong High Court upholds government decision to bar British lawyer from Jimmy Lai collusion trial
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