Two Verdicts, One in Hong Kong, the other in New York

The UK called for the release of the 47 defendants

Yesterday there was an historic verdict in Hong Kong, with 14 convicted of subverting the government by holding an unofficial primary election in 2020; two were acquitted.

The government denounced foreign countries for criticising the ruling, calling them "malicious smears", and that western governments, as well as "anti-China organisations" to stop interfering in domestic affairs, and refrain from making "false reports".

Trevelyan said NSL stifled opposition

Meanwhile, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, the United Kingdom's minister for the Indo-Pacific, described the saga a "clear demonstration" of how the Beijing-imposed national security law was used to "stifle opposition and criminalise political dissent".

She also called for the Hong Kong authorities to release all those charged under the legislation that was implemented in 2020.

"The [47 defendants] are guilty of nothing more than seeking to exercise their right to freedom of speech, of assembly and of political participation, as guaranteed under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and promised in the Sino-British Joint Declaration," she said.

"[Thursday's] verdict will only further tarnish Hong Kong's international reputation. It sends a message that Hongkongers can no longer safely and meaningfully participate in peaceful political debate."

Halfway around the world, the debate and analysis was alive and well after 12 jurors in New York found former US President Donald J Trump guilty of all 34 counts of falsifying records to cover up his affairs with porn star Stormy Daniels in the lead up to the 2016 election.

The media repeated over and over how Trump was a "convicted felon" and how this was unprecedented in American history. 

The headline of the NYT after the verdict

The jurors only took 10 hours to decide Trump was guilty, which shows the prosecution presented a convincing case that they were able to follow; they did not seem to care about the defence's concerns that fixer Michael Cohen was not a reliable witness -- he had all the documents that lined up with the prosecution's story.

Trump will make a statement tomorrow morning and there are guesses he will announce an appeal, though some legal experts believe his chances of overturning the verdict are very slim. When it comes to the upcoming election, will Republicans accept a convicted felon as their presidential candidate?

Sentencing will be on July 11. 

The attention to Trump's verdict wiped away any interest in what happened in Hong Kong, to the dismay of pro-democracy activists, while the Hong Kong government was probably secretly pleased the verdict quickly disappeared from the news cycle. 

Nevertheless there will be more opportunities to talk about Hong Kong again...