Hong Kong court rejects appeal by head of dissolved party over secession charge
Advertisement
The Court of Appeal on Tuesday handed down a judgment that rejected Joseph John's request to review his five-year jail sentence for conspiracy to incite secession through the publication of
offensive content on the social media platforms of the Hong Kong Independence Party.
The three presiding judges found the lower District Court correctly labelled the case as serious, warranting a jail term of at least five years for the 42-year-old under a two-tier sentencing regime.
The appellate court set a benchmark over a contentious topic surrounding the Beijing-decreed legislation, which could affect the outcome of other proceedings, while also weighing in on a high-profile trial of 47 opposition activists.
John, a UK resident who holds a Portuguese passport, was
denied a full one-third reduction of his 6½-year sentence which would otherwise be awarded to defendants pleading guilty at the earliest opportunity.
Advertisement
The national security law stipulates a prison sentence of five to 10 years for a serious offence of inciting secession, but provides no express mechanism for penalising a conspiracy to commit the crime.
Prosecutors levelled the charge by invoking the national security law and the colonial-era Crimes Ordinance, which outlines the principles for sentencing conspiracy offences. One requirement is that sentences should match the gravity of the substantive crime.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
6 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Russian media search for China boy who met Putin 25 years ago; now engineer recalls kiss
A Russian media search for a Chinese boy who had his photo taken with President Vladimir Putin 25 years ago has gone viral on mainland social media. Advertisement Now an engineer, the man has recalled the moment the president kissed his forehead and says the encounter had a lasting impact on his life. On July 17, Russia Today TV, which is also known as RT, posted a 'missing person search' on a major social media platform. Peng Pai pictured with President Putin's hands resting on his shoulders a quarter of a century ago in a Beijing park. Photo: handout The post recounted how, on July 17, 2000, Putin, then 47, made his first official visit to Beijing as President. After visiting the Forbidden City, Putin suggested rowing in a park. The sudden change of plan left security unable to clear the area in time, drawing a crowd of tourists. During the visit, Putin interacted with a 12-year-old Chinese boy and his father, creating a heartwarming moment captured by photographers. Advertisement The boy, Peng Pai, is reportedly from Yueyang City in Hunan province, central China.
HKFP
8 hours ago
- HKFP
EU condemns arrest of former Macau pro-democracy lawmaker
The European Union on Saturday condemned Macau's arrest of former pro-democracy lawmaker Au Kam-san, saying it only heightened concerns about the 'erosion of political pluralism' in the Chinese territory. This photo taken on December 12, 2024 shows Au Kam-san, a primary school teacher who became one of Macau's longest-serving pro-democracy legislators, posing for a portrait in Macau. Photo: Eduardo Leal/AFP. Au is the first person to be arrested under the city's national security law. Authorities alleged on Thursday that the 68-year-old primary school teacher had ties to foreign groups endangering China. 'This development adds to the existing concerns about the ongoing erosion of political pluralism and freedom of speech in the Macao Special Administrative Region,' said European Union spokesperson Anitta Hipper in a statement. 'The EU recalls that the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms is a central element of the Macao Basic Law and 'one country, two systems',' set up in the former Portuguese colony. The territory near Hong Kong and known for its casinos, has retained its own legal system since China took it back from Portugal in 1999. The security law, which restricts political activity, was passed in 2009 but broadened in 2023. Au, a legislator up to 2021, has campaigned on social welfare, corruption and electoral reform. Support HKFP | Policies & Ethics | Error/typo? | Contact Us | Newsletter | Transparency & Annual Report | Apps Safeguard press freedom; keep HKFP free for all readers by supporting our team Produced externally by an organization we trust to adhere to high journalistic standards.
South China Morning Post
21 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Competition should be about innovation and quality, not the price
As Beijing works aggressively to make sure the economy meets the 5 per cent growth target at year end, one new tool in its arsenal is to amend a key law to discourage vicious price wars that have plagued multiple sectors in recent years. From food delivery and e-commerce to solar power and electric cars, steep price cuts – with the aim to drive out competitors but which also undercut one's own profits – are fuelling deflationary pressure. That has led regulators to propose urgent amendments to an old pricing law. A public consultation is open until August 23. With transparency and an open mind, the authorities can use positive public feedback to fine-tune the changes. In the existing law, firms are banned from selling goods below cost to eliminate competitors or monopolise the market. The new amendment adds the condition that businesses cannot fight each other by dumping products at below-cost prices. With more transparent price regulation and oversight, they will also be prohibited from 'leveraging data, algorithms and technological tools' to chase clients and beat rivals. So far, market reactions have been positive. Listed companies in consumer services, non-ferrous metals and financial companies – sectors that have experienced cutthroat competition or what officials have termed 'involution' – have seen share prices move up since the news broke. There is, of course, a counterargument that market forces alone should decide prices. But in such cases of market failure, supervision and regulatory intervention are called for. Companies ought to compete on quality and innovation rather than price. A proper legal framework will work better to guide businesses and promote healthy competition, rather than for authorities to deliver ad hoc admonitions to offending firms when the situation has already become dire. In early July, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology warned 14 major solar firms against a vicious price war and overcapacity. The share prices of some of them rose on the news, as markets expected price cutting eating into profits would stop. But such intervention is unsystematic. A transparent legal framework should be business-friendly with clear rules and regulations. Moderating or even eliminating involution will allow more time for companies to phase out outdated practices to better compete.
