The judge denied bail to 10 activists accused of subversion; another 11 had withdrawn the request. More hearings in the coming days. Only five of the 47 indicted are free on bail. Banners in support of the detained even in stadiums.
Hong Kong (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The West Kowloon Magistrates' Court this morning rejected the bail requests of 11 democracy activists held in prison since March 4. Another 10 withdrew their bail application at the last minute.
The 21 are part of a group of 47 people arrested on February 28 under Beijing's national security law for subversion. Tomorrow and March 15 there will be other bail hearings. Only five of them were released last week.
In July 2020 some of the 47 had organized primary elections of the democratic front to compete in the September legislative elections (later postponed): others had participated. According to the prosecutor, by organizing those elections, which aimed to secure 35 or more seats in the Legco (the city parliament) for the democratic front, they "plotted" to "subvert" the executive of Carrie Lam.
The trial against the activists will open on May 31: they face life imprisonment. As in all other hearings, even today a crowd of Democratic sympathizers appeared in court to express support for the accused.
In recent days, protests against the arrest of the 47 have multiplied.
On March 10, at the 47th minute of a football match at the Mong Kok stadium, the public stood up clapping their hands and demanding the release of prisoners. A similar scene also took place on March 5 (see video).
For the democratic camp and outside observers, the security law is used by the pro-Beijing authorities to stifle dissent and align the city with the positions of the Communist government. The same goes for the electoral reform approved yesterday by the National People’s Congress: it is designed to limit the possibility of electing pro-democracy candidates to the Legco.