Hong Kong protests: China formally denounces activists who tried to flee by boat to Taiwan

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The prosecution took their cases one step closer to the courts, although no date has been set to begin their hearings.

A court in the southern city of Shenzhen, where the 12 have been held, said in a statement on Wednesday that two members of the group had been accused of organizing illegal border crossings, while eight were charged with crossing the border. illegal. The remaining two, both minors, will be held in camera and “decisions will be made in accordance with the law,” the statement said.

Under Chinese criminal law, those convicted of organizing illegal border crossings can face two to seven years in prison and, in serious cases, life imprisonment. The crime of crossing the border illegally can carry a maximum of one year in prison. According to legal observers, the Chinese judicial system has a conviction rate of around 99%.

The twelve activists – most of whom were on bail or facing charges in Hong Kong in connection with last year’s anti-government protests – boarded a speedboat in the small fishing village of Po Toi O on 23 August, hoping to follow others who had fled. on the autonomous island of Taiwan, about 700 kilometers (440 miles) away.

Shortly after crossing the maritime border between Hong Kong and mainland China, a Coast Guard stopped his boat.

Since then, they have been detained in mainland China, while their families have been desperately pushing for their return, saying at 12 they have been denied access to lawyers and have been mistreated while in Chinese custody.

Continental authorities have said they will “protect the legitimate rights of suspects in accordance with the law” and have provided them with government-appointed lawyers.

Following the court’s announcement on Wednesday, relatives of the twelve Hong Kongers issued their own statement, saying they wished to attend court hearings. But they worry that they may not be able to arrive on time when trial dates are announced due to the 14-day quarantine requirement to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

In the statement, family members also argued with the agreement of government-appointed lawyers.

The Hong Kong government was accused of collaborating with China to monitor and catch fugitives fleeing to Taiwan

“Families cannot trust ‘government-appointed lawyers’ to protect the interests of the twelve during the trial and fear that ‘government-appointed lawyers’ will follow the government’s orders and act against the interests of the twelve,” the statement said. .

Chinese courts, along with prosecutors and police, are overseen by the powerful Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission of the Chinese Communist Party and its local branches.

Fears related to China’s judicial system and its potential reach in Hong Kong sparked protests last year that sparked months of anti-government unrest in the semi-autonomous city.

This year, when protests began to resume after a forced break by the coronavirus, the Chinese government imposed a national security law on Hong Kong, criminalizing sedition, secession and subversion.

The law, which the government says is necessary to restore order, has caused several prominent activists to flee abroad.

Eric Cheung contributed to this report.

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