By Tenzin Monlam
DHARAMSHALA, April 26: The Pro-independence Hong Kong activists and lawmakers disqualified for their anti-China protest during their swearing-in ceremony last year were today arrested and charged with ‘unlawful assembly’ and attempted forced entry into a Legislative Council of the Hong Kong (Legco) meeting in November.
Yau Wai-ching and Sixtus Baggio Leung, both belonging to Youngspiration political party, were later released on bail of HK$ 3,000 each and the duo are expected to appear in front of a court on Friday.
Leung, after getting the bail, told South China Morning Post that they are unlikely to plead guilty, as it is ‘unreasonable’ to charge them for illegal assembly when they were trying to attend a meeting.
However, if they are found guilty they could face up to five years in jail under the city’s public order ordinance or a fine and three years imprisonment.
Leung also added that few of their former assistants and associates were also arrested.
“When three or more persons assemble together and conduct themselves in a disorderly manner to cause fears that they will commit a breach of peace, they are an unlawful assembly regardless of their social status,” read the police statement.
Last year on November 2 the disqualified duo barged into the Legco to retake their oaths. A scuffle also broke out when security guards tried to stop them and their associates. The duo’s swearing-in ceremonies in October last year were annulled since they had refused to stick to the actual oath, which reads Hong Kong as a special administrative region of China.
According to Yau’s Facebook post, the two were arrested and taken from their home at around 7 a.m.
Following the arrest, their party came out with a statement saying, “The actions of the Chinese Communist Party and their puppets in Hong Kong are pure evil. Evil such as this deprives Hong Kong people of the freedom and democracy they cherish.” Reminding the guaranteed democratic autonomy in the Sino-British Joint Declaration, the party vowed to carry on the struggle against the evil.
