Chow Hang-Tung Acquitted in Appeal

Chow won appeal against conviction for inciting ppl to gather

Just in the last few hours, democracy activist Chow Hang-tung won an appeal against her conviction and sentence for inciting people to gather at Victoria Park for the June 4th anniversary.

The ex-vice-chairperson of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China was convicted for inciting others to take part in an unauthorised assembly and was sentenced for 15 months in jail in January. 

Up until 2020, the June 4 vigil held annually

She has almost finished serving that sentence almost 12 months later...

In the ruling Justice Judianna Barnes wrote that while Chow appealed to the public to come to Victoria Park to gather, it was not a crime because the police ban on the candlelight vigil was not legally sound.

Justice Barnes also found the police did not properly and fully exercise their responsibility to explore measures to facilitate a peaceful and safe public gathering before issuing a ban on the vigil.

Not only that but Justice Barnes has given Chow the green light to launch a parallel trial the police ban's legality in her criminal trial because she was not the applicant for police permission for the vigil, and yet she was prosecuted for it.

Is this for real? Is there still some rule of law left in Hong Kong?

Chow has been determined from the beginning and methodical in her approach, taking down the prosecution's arguments point by point.

Chow still faces NSL charges with Lee and Ho

But she still faces national security law charge of inciting subversion of state power together with Lee Cheuk-yan and Albert Ho Chjn-yan, the chair and vice chair of the Hong Kong Alliance. The trio are alleged to have incited others to subvert state power between July 1, 2020 and September 8, 2021.