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In just five years, the Chinese Communist Party has turned one of the freest and most prosperous places in the world into a police state filled with show trials and void of a free press and the right to dissent. America better take notice.
Hong Kong has convicted 14 pro-democracy protesters of conspiracy to commit subversion under the city’s National Security Law.
The convictions derive from the protesters’ participation in organizing an informal primary election in July 2020. The defendants were attempting to select pro-democracy candidates for the election set for September 2020. Despite threats from Beijing, over 600,000 people voted in the primary, more than 13 percent of the electorate.
Hong Kong authorities arrested 47 organizers associated with the primary, along with numerous other dissenters, under the city’s then newly passed National Security Law, which essentially criminalizes dissent as a threat to the government. Hong Kong’s sharp turn from one of the freest cities in the world to an authoritarian open-air jail took place following the return of control of Hong Kong to mainland China from Great Britain.
31 defendants pled guilty to charges of subversion in hopes of receiving a lighter punishment.
On May 30, three Hong Kong judges found 14 of the defendants guilty of conspiracy to commit subversion.
The court argued that the defendants were attempting to topple the government by securing a legislative majority. Allegedly the defendants intended to gain legislative power to veto the budget. Under Hong Kong’s mini-constitution, if the budget is vetoed by two consecutive legislatures, the chief executive must step down.
The court claimed that the defendants would veto the budget and impair the government’s ability to operate. If the defendants’ actions led to vetoes that dissolved the legislature, “the implementation of any new government policies would be seriously hampered and essentially put to a halt,” wrote the court.
“The power and authority of both the Government and the Chief Executive would be greatly undermined. In our view … that would create a constitutional crisis for Hong Kong.”
The judges said that interfering in the functions of the government by unlawful means constituted subversion. It broadly defined unlawful means as not limited to criminal actions.
The defendants never had the opportunity to put their alleged plan into motion as authorities canceled the September election and later installed officials who were loyal to the Chinese Communist Party in Beijing.
In this case, five defendants were named “major organizers,” which could result in life in prison. These include Ng Ching-hang, an activist who was convicted Thursday; Benny Tai, who is a former law professor; Au Nok-hin, a former lawmaker; and Chiu Ka-yin and Chung Kam-lun, who are both former councilmembers.
Two defendants were acquitted yesterday, Lawrence Lau Wai-chung and Lee Yue-shun, both former district councilors. The judges ruled that neither had mentioned vetoing the budget and so could not prove they had attempted to subvert the government. The prosecution will appeal their acquittals, as there is no double jeopardy under the Hong Kong legal system.
Sentences will be announced at a later date.
Acting China director at Human Rights Watch Maya Wang responded to the convictions by stating,
“Hong Kong’s mass show trial lays bare Beijing’s utter contempt for fundamental freedoms and democratic political processes. The Hong Kong government needs to quash the convictions of these activists and fulfill its legal obligations to protect the rights of the Hong Kong people, including their right to freely elect their government.”
Wang added, “The Chinese government is not only seeking to smash the hopes for democracy among the people of Hong Kong but also send an unrepentant message to the rest of the world. Governments around the world should support those in Hong Kong who stand firm on the front line in the struggle for democracy and human rights.”
The idea of targeting political and ideological opponents through lawfare is fresh on the minds of Americans. China shows us the long game of what happens when government engages in totalitarian efforts to silence those who oppose its ideology.
Hong Kong was one of the freest, most prosperous places in the world less than 10 years ago. When Great Britain gave Hong Kong back to China, the CCP promised it would allow Hong Kong to maintain its human rights and freedoms.
It did not keep that promise.
In very short order, China began cracking down on the free expression and due process rights of Hong Kongers and passed the National Security Law to supposedly protect against insurrections. In case you think that maybe this case is the only instance of authorities weaponizing the law you are wrong. Numerous independent newspapers were raided and shut down, reporters had their notes seized and were arrested for criticizing the authoritarian takeover of Hong Kong. Protesters and opposing political officials were rounded up and arrested. A 90-year-old Catholic cardinal was thrown in prison for criticizing the regime and voicing support for pro-democracy protesters.
Even holding a sign could lead to your arrest.
All supposedly to protect the country.
Really, it was to steal the freedoms of those living in Hong Kong and reinforce the control and power of those in charge.
Using the law to attack your political opposition is tyranny, and no one does it better than the communists — whether in the Soviet Union, Cuba, North Korea, or China.
Five years ago, Hong Kong stood at a precipice — would it retain its freedom and prosperity or become a full-blown police state controlled by a single party and a single ideology?
Sadly, we now know the answer, and Hong Kong is a cautionary tale for America and other Western democracies that are being slowly undermined by radical leftist ideologies, censorship, and a two-tiered justice system.
Wake up, America, or soon Hong Kong will seem much closer to home.
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