A Hong Kong court found leaders of the 2014 “Occupy” civil disobedience movement guilty on Tuesday of public nuisance charges during the mass protests, in a landmark verdict that comes as the China-ruled city’s freedoms come under strain. Tai and Chan were also found guilty of incitement to commit public nuisance. “The reason that we committed civil disobedience is because we want justice for Hong Kong people.”In a summary of his judgement, Justice Johnny Chan noted that while the concept of civil disobedience is “recognised in Hong Kong”, it wasn’t a defence to a criminal charge. A senior Financial Times editor was also effectively expelled from the city after he hosted a talk with a pro-independence activist at the Hong Kong Foreign Correspondents’ Club. A public opinion poll by the Chinese University of Hong Kong that was cited in court found that of some 1,200 protesters polled during the demonstrations, 87 percent said they had participated to “protect Hong Kong’s liberty”.

Source: Indian Express April 09, 2019 08:03 UTC