Release Hong Kong 45!

On November 19, 45 pro-democracy activists were sentenced to prison terms ranging from four to ten years in the biggest case since Beijing imposed National Security laws on Hong Kong in June 2020.

A three-judge panel found them guilty of conspiracy to commit subversion over their participation in an unofficial primary election in July 2020 aimed at winning a majority in the upcoming elections for the Hong Kong Legislative Council (Legco). This is a non-jury political trial designed to silence any opposition to the government in Hong Kong.

Justice

The nearly four-year timeline is itself a travesty of justice. Most of those arrested in January 2021 were detained for more than two years, pending a lengthy trial that began in February 2023 and ended in May 2024. The court was then given another six months to impose the sentence.

Benny Tai, a law lecturer, co-founder of the 2014 Occupy Central and cited by the prosecutor’s office as the initiator of the strategy to gain an anti-government majority in Legco, was sentenced to the maximum sentence of ten years. Those sentenced to more than seven years in prison include veteran socialist and Union of Social Democrats leader Leung “Long Hair” Kwok Hung; Winnie Yu, leader of the Hospital Authority Employees Alliance union (HAEA), and Gwyneth Ho, activist and journalist for the now-defunct Stand News. Carol Ng, president of the disbanded HKCTU and founder of the British Airways Hong Kong Cabin Crew Association, was sentenced to 4 years and 5 months in prison.

Johannes Chan, former Law professor at the University of Hong Kong, explained that it is common practice in democracies and that pushing for government policy changes through budget vetoing is acceptable under the Hong Kong Basic Law. The justices noted that the democrats faced “mere charges of conspiracy” and not actual subversive acts, so the harsher Homeland Security sentencing ranges were “absolutely unenforceable.” Security Minister Chris Tang has threatened to appeal against tougher penalties. The government is keen to promote the image that Hong Kong still operates under common law but is clearly under serious pressure.

Essentially, “One Country, Two Systems” was forged between the British and Chinese Governments to protect Hong Kong’s function as a financial centre. The people of Hong Kong were never consulted about the 1997 handover, and the promises of universal suffrage in the Basic Law were mere window dressing.

Postponed

In 2021-2021, the Hong Kong government postponed Legco elections and rewrote its rules to disqualify oppositionists; as a result, 89 out of 90 of the Legco were found to be “mere patriots” from pro-Beijing political parties. The Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (HKCTU) and many autonomous unions were forced to disband. Apple Daily, Stand News and other media outlets critical of the Government were closed. The Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Chinese Patriotic Democratic Movements (ASPDMC), the organizer of the annual June 4 Tiananmen commemoration since 1990, disbanded in September 2021 following the arrest of its leaders.

Hong Kong civil society largely lacks freedom of expression and assembly, and Patriotic (according to the CCP) Education is being added to the Hong Kong curriculum.

Despite all the pressure, there is still room for industrial action in Hong Kong. Fast food delivery workers continue to protest sporadically as recently as April 2024, after a major strike in 2022 narrowly failed to win permanent concessions from globalized gig companies FoodPanda And Deliveroo. A string of fatal industrial accidents is prompting even pro-Beijing unions to pressure the government to take stronger action against employers.

Unions for both cabin crew and pilots at Cathay Pacific continue to press for better pay and conditions as the airline, which laid off thousands of staff in 2019, tries to recover jobs lost post-Covid.

Apart from the 45, other prominent dissidents in prison include Lee Cheuk Yan, former secretary of the HKCTU and chairman of ASPDMC, Chow Hung Tung, who became ASPDMC convenor after Lee’s arrest, and Jimmy Lai, businessman and owner of ASPDMC. Apple Daily. His trial began on 20 November, diverting mainstream international media attention from the sentence imposed on HK45.

Labor movement activists should actively campaign to press for the release of all detained HK activists! We must demand that the Labor government increase its support for the exiled diaspora and ensure they are not harassed by the Chinese embassy. Help put on the show on November 30th!