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HONG KONG: A group of 11 Hong Kong activists accused of subversion will remain in jail for at least another five days while judges consider whether to release them on bail, a court said on Saturday (March 6).
The group, which includes three former legislators, will have hearings on Thursday and March 13, the Superior Court said. A court agreed this week to release them, but prosecutors appealed the decision.
They are among 47 people charged under a national security law imposed in Hong Kong last year by the ruling Communist Party after the protests.
They were arrested after opposition groups held an unofficial vote last year to choose candidates for elections to the territory’s Legislative Council.
Some activists planned, if elected, to reject important bills in an attempt to force Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam to resign.
The national security law was imposed after months of demonstrations that began over a proposed Chinese extradition law and expanded to include demands for more democracy.
Supporters hold flashlights after activists accused of conspiracy were released on bail in a Hong Kong court on March 5, 2021 (AP Photo / Kin Cheung).
The law sparked allegations that Beijing undermines the “high degree of autonomy” promised when the former British colony returned to China in 1997 and undermines its status as a business center.
People convicted of subversion or other crimes under the law can face penalties of up to life in prison.
Hong Kong traditionally grants bail for non-violent crimes, but the new law says that bail cannot be granted unless a judge believes that the defendant “will not continue to commit acts that endanger national security.”
On Friday, four of the 47 people charged were released on bail after prosecutors dropped a challenge to the decision.
The group that will appear in court on Thursday includes former lawmakers Helena Wong, Jeremy Tam and Kwok Ka-ki.
The next hearing for the 47 defendants is May 31.
