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Courtroom reopens to families and press for democrats’ national security hearing

蘋果日報 2021/03/06 16:53


Families of the defendants were finally allowed in the courtroom during Saturday’s bail appeal hearings for 11 of the 47 pro-democracy activists charged with subversion under the national security law.
The High Court has eased some of the stringent press and public attendance arrangements for the cases when they were heard at West Kowloon Court earlier during the week. Limited numbers of family and press seats were allowed in the courtroom on Saturday.
Sam Cheung’s wife, who has been pregnant for eight weeks, took a chance to show an ultrasonogram of their first child to the social activist in the dock. She walked closer to the bars before the court session ended and smiled when Cheung could see the scan.
“Hang in there, Sam!” Hendrick Lui, one of the four defendants released on bail on Friday evening, chanted before Cheung was taken away.
Alongside with 10 other democrats who were brought to court on Saturday, Cheung will be remanded in custody until hearings resume on March 11 and 13.
Ahead of his appearance in the afternoon session, district councilor Ricky Or declared via his lawyers that he would quit all political organizations with immediate effect. The former Democratic Party member will not run in any upcoming or future elections, the statement on his Facebook page added.
Madam Justice Esther Toh has also lifted the press reporting restrictions previously imposed on the four-day marathon bail proceedings, but stressed the relaxation only applied to Saturday’s hearings and would bring the ban back for future national security trials.
Legal representatives of district councilors Cheng Tat-hung, Michael Pang and Kalvin Ho attempted to apply for an interim bail for their clients. But Toh refused to hear their requests, saying “it’s a closed door at the moment.”
The 11 are among the 53 opposition figures arrested by national security agents in early January for taking part in the pro-democracy camp’s primaries for the since-postponed Legislative Council election. Last Sunday, 47 of them were charged with “conspiracy to commit subversion” under Beijing’s national security law for Hong Kong.
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