The trial of 10 of the 12 Hongkongers arrested at sea while en route to Taiwan took place behind closed doors in China on Monday after turning reporters and diplomats away. After the Shenzhen Yantian court announced upon finishing the trial that it would reserve verdicts to a later date, families were told on Tuesday that the judgement will be handed down on Wednesday.

According to the “Save 12 HK youths” concern group, some family members received calls from government-appointed lawyers that the court will announce the sentencing of the 10 adult defendants at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday. The trial date of the two minor defendants remains unannounced, the group said, adding that it has yet to confirm with the court regarding the latest development.

Speaking to RTHK on Tuesday morning, the brother of Tang Kai Yin, one of 10 activists who stood trial, expressed disappointment and anger at the reserved decision. Lawyers appointed by the Chinese authorities notified families on Monday night that the defendants have pleaded guilty to their charges and were “well-behaved and cooperative during the court proceedings,” said Tang.

He questioned why the court could not announce the verdict on the same date and kept them in further detention instead. Contrary to what they were told, families could not access information about the case on the court’s website, including the time of the trial and information about the presiding judge. Tang has called and messaged the court for information, only to no avail.

Though the court claimed it was an open trial attended by relatives of the defendants, none in Hong Kong was given sufficient notice to attend the trial themselves. Foreign diplomats and reporters were also turned away by the authorities.

“We are deeply concerned that members of the Shenzhen 12 were tried in secret today, having been given just three days’ notice of their trial,” said British foreign secretary Dominic Raab, who stated that diplomats from Britain and a number of other countries were denied entry to court proceedings.

“The Shenzhen 12 have not had access to lawyers of their choosing, raising further serious questions about access to legal counsel in Mainland China,” he added.

The Chinese Embassy in Britain refuted Raab’s statement, claiming journalists, relatives and deputies of the People’s Congress and members of the People’s Political Consultative Conference from Hong Kong and Shenzhen were allowed to attend the trial. “The statement of the U.K. side shows no respect for facts and confuses right and wrong,” said the spokesperson.

Barrister Chow Hang-tung who has assisted the families criticized the Chinese authorities for dragging its feet on sensitive political cases and depriving families of the rights to observe the trial. A Chinese lawyer explained that it is a common tactic for the authorities to selectively invite relatives to observe the trial, for a semblance of transparency.

Liang Xiaojun, a Chinese human rights lawyer, said the court withheld the judgement as the case involved a large number of defendants. After the judgement is handed down, defendants typically have ten days to decide if they would like to file an appeal.

Another lawyer suggested the delay is to buy time for coordinating extradition and deportation with the Hong Kong authorities. One lawyer, who was pressured to drop the case, said he has never felt that much pressure from the authorities. The case is seen as most sensitive, likely due to the pro-democracy protests last year as well as the national security law Beijing imposed on Hong Kong this year, he noted.

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