Social News
Written by: Lu Leqian
2021-04-13 17:37
Last update date: 2021-04-13 17:39
The Hong Kong government promulgated the "Law on Prohibition of Face Masking" in October of the previous year. A large number of protesters took to the streets to express their dissatisfaction the following day. Among them, former Secretary General Huang Zhifeng and social citizen Lian Gu Siyao were accused of participating in an unauthorized assembly, and Huang was accused of using it. Masked items.
Huang earlier pleaded guilty to all charges, but Gu pleaded not, but after trial, he was also convicted in the Eastern District Court today (13th).
Huang Zhifeng pleaded that the scale of the demonstration was small, and he only put on a mask when he was interviewed, emphasizing that the illegal act was based on the principle of civil disobedience.
Huang was eventually increased in prison for April, while Gu Siyao was sentenced to five months in prison.
At the time of sentencing, Magistrate Deng Shaoxiong pointed out that Huang Zhifeng was interviewed by the media in this case and belonged to an iconic figure; Gu Siyao was responsible for walking forward with straight flags and took them away after the parade. They belonged to leading figures; however, Officer Deng also pointed out The facts of this case are less serious than the case of Huang Zhifeng, Zhou Ting and Lin Langyan, which is equivalent to the encirclement of the police chief on June 21, 2019. There was no violent scene in this case, and there was no damage to public property.
Official Deng also pointed out that in the Zhou Ting case, the defendant involved actively participated in and actively assisted other demonstrators, which was heavier than the roles of Huang and Gu in this case. The demonstration in this case only lasted about 3 hours, which was much longer. The demonstration in the Zhou Ting case was short, and the number of participants was not as high as that in the Zhou Ting case.
Huang Zhifeng added prison in April, Gu Siyao prison in May
In the end, Guan Deng set the starting point for the sentence for the crime of unapproved assembly as 6 months imprisonment. Huang could be deducted one-third of his sentence for pleading guilty, and he was eventually sentenced to 4 months imprisonment; Gu Ze was awarded the court because there was no dispute over the prosecution plan. One month's sentence was deducted at his discretion, and he was eventually sentenced to 5 months in prison.
For Huang's use of masked objects, Guan Deng sentenced Huang to 10 days' imprisonment, which was executed at the same time as the aforementioned four-month sentence.
Gu Siyao said that he will continue to lose and fight
After being sentenced, Gu Siyao once again stated to the court: "Being in prison is a part of my life. I have been defeated and fought again and again. I continue to fight. The more I sit in the prison, the smarter I am." He shouted before being taken into the prison. "Long live democracy and long live human rights!" Huang Zhifeng said to the auditorium: "Thanks to everyone."
The defendants Huang Zhifeng (24 years old) and Gu Siyao (74 years old) were both charged on October 5, 2019, together with other unidentified persons, and without reasonable excuses, they knowingly participated in an unauthorized assembly; Huang Zhifeng was also charged. When participating in an unauthorized assembly, use a masked object that is likely to prevent identification, that is, a hanging ear mask.
Gu admitted breaking the law but chose not to plead guilty
The magistrate Tang Shao-hsiung stated that Gu Siyao chose to defend himself and admitted in court that he had participated in public demonstrations and did not challenge the prosecution plan.
During the interrogation, Gu also recognized himself in the scene of the demonstration presented by the prosecution. From the film, it can be seen that Gu was holding a yellow big straight banner with "May the glory go to Hong Kong" printed at the time.
Official Deng concluded that Gu’s position was that Gu admitted that he had committed an illegal act but chose not to plead guilty, so he was found guilty on this basis.
Huang masked for civil disobedience
When Huang Zhifeng represented his lawyer, he pointed out that Huang was not the organizer of the parade that day. The parade that day was small, with only hundreds to 1,000 people participating. There was no violent incident at the scene and no one was injured. In addition, Huang Zhifeng had been on the scene all the time. He didn't wear a mask until he was interviewed. It can be seen that he was not trying to hide his identity. He was only violating the "Face Mask Ban Act" based on the principle of civil disobedience.
Gu suffered from bowel cancer stage 4
Gu Siyao’s own statement stated that he was suffering from stage IV rectal cancer and was preparing to undergo the third stage of surgery at Princess Margaret Hospital; Gu also pointed out that he had participated in social movement for more than 30 years and had undergone 10 imprisonment, even in this case. It will not be the last time to be imprisoned. It means that there is a chance in the future to deliberately violate the "National Security Law", and clearly stated that the court does not need to pity or sympathize with him, nor does it need to be kind to him.
Case Number: ESCC 2097/2020
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