A Hong Kong judiciary has ordered a trial without jurors in the biggest national security law case. In all, 47 pro-democracy activists, accused of conspiring to subvert, are to be tried soon. They face life imprisonment.
Among the reasons given for departing from the “common law” legal system inherited from the British, the new Minister of Justice of hong kongPaul Lam, first cited the involvement of foreign elements, in a certificate dated August 13.
Other reasons displayed: the personal safety of jurors and their family members ” as well as ” the risk of influencing the course of justice if the trial proceeds with a jury “. This is how the 47 pro-democracy activists will be tried in a trial without jurors.
Instead, the verdict will be delivered by three judges hand-picked by the government. This is the second time that such a decision has been taken in a case where the national security law. A law that was imposed by Beijing in 2020 to silence dissent after massive and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests.
The 47 defendants in this case have very varied profiles. There are democratically elected representatives of the Legislative Council of the city, trade unionists, or even academics. Suspected of subversion for having organized an unofficial election in July 2020, they risk up to life.
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(With AFP)