HONG KONG-PROTEST/STUDENT LEADER UPDATE Hong Kong student leaders charged over democracy protest

Record ID: 147135

  • Title: HONG KONG-PROTEST/STUDENT LEADER UPDATE Hong Kong student leaders charged over democracy protest
  • Date: 14th July 2015
  • Summary: HONG KONG, CHINA (JULY 14, 2015) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF WESTERN POLICE STATION SIGN READING (English): "WESTERN POLICE STATION" BEHIND BAMBOO SCAFFOLDING SECRETARY GENERAL OF HONG KONG FEDERATION OF STUDENTS, NATHAN LAW, EXITING FROM POLICE STATION VARIOUS OF LAW HOLDING UP CHARGE SHEET STUDENTS HOLDING YELLOW UMBRELLAS LAW SPEAKING TO REPORTERS (SOUNDBITE) (English) SECRET
  • Embargoed: 29th July 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: China
  • Country: China
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA1Z5L4IAA84CUBULIEFLT6NFSS
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Two Hong Kong students who rose to international fame during last year's pro-democracy protests were charged on Tuesday (July 14) with "obstructing police" outside the office of China's top official in the city.
    The charges were related to a protest outside the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on June 11 last year.
    Joshua Wong, the thin, bespectacled head of student activist group, Scholarism, and Nathan Law, the new secretary general of the Hong Kong Federation of Students, were charged at a police station in Hong Kong and then released on bail.
    They have been told to report to court on Friday (July 17), according to official police documents they showed reporters.
    Wong said the evidence against him was weak and he didn't see himself obstructing police in the video shown to him at the police station. Law said he saw some pushing and shoving but needed to discuss with his lawyer what to do next.
    Law said he believed the case was politically motivated.
    "I believe that the act of burning the White Paper causes the attention of the Central Government to implement something or to charge someone who was in the site in order to pose a threat towards the people who are opposing the Central Government," Law said.
    Wong said that less than 30 people took part in the June 11 protest. He confirmed that they had burnt a copy of a controversial policy paper by China's State Council that reminded Hong Kong that there were limits to its freedom.
    He said the police had been pursuing activists, but did little to address complaints of unfair treatment to protesters and are yet to charge seven policemen who were filmed beating a protester during the Occupy protests last year.
    "I'm optimistic to win in this case. But I think the more important thing is, I hope the policemen (will) not be (making) double standards," Wong said.
    A former British colony, Hong Kong was returned to Chinese Communist Party rule in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" form of government that gave it separate laws and wide-ranging autonomy but reserved ultimate authority for Beijing.
    About 30 activists turned up at the police station to support Wong and Law. They carried yellow umbrellas that have come to symbolise last year's protests and chanted "Political persecution is shameful!", "Burning the White Paper is not a crime".
    They also called for Hong Kong's leader, Leung Chun-ying, who they see as close to Beijing, to step down.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register