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South China morning post
Protests in Hong Kong: Inquiry jury cannot decide cause of death of student in parking lot after first day of deliberations
An investigative jury could not decide on the cause of the fatal fall of a Hong Kong student in a parking lot near the site of a protest two years ago on the first day of deliberations. The five-member panel moved behind closed doors on Friday after a five-week investigation into the death of Alex Chow Tsz-lok, but could not reach a verdict after more than six hours of discussions. They told coroner Ko Wai-hung that they did not need help from the court so far, but were still drawing conclusions on the facts of the case. Court in Admiralty, equipped with basic amenities for jurors, before resuming deliberations on Saturday. Get the latest insights and analysis from our Global Impact newsletter on great stories originating from China. Earlier in the day, Ko asked the jurors to decide whether the 22-year-old’s death was a homicide, but emphasized that concluding that Chow was murdered illegally brought great obstacles, as they had to be satisfied that there was no other. way to explain his fall in November 2019. Chow sank four meters to his death inside the multi-story complex by accident, Ko said, if they found it was relatively likely based on the evidence presented in the Forensic Court investigation, only if they did not reach one of those Ko added two conclusions should they consider issuing an open verdict. In his instructions to the jury Thursday, the coroner ruled out the possibility that Chow was pushed over the edge of the parking lot, saying there was no medical evidence to support that sentence. The death of the third-year computer science student at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology became a source of tension between protesters and police at the height of anti-government protests in 2019. His death made international headlines, both local and foreign. The media called it the first death directly stemming from the protests. Hundreds of residents gathered in the parking lot at Tseung Kwan O where Chow fell, creating a makeshift shrine on November 8, 2019, the day he died from it. of his wounds. Chow’s friends, schoolmates, teachers, politicians, and strangers paid tribute to him at a memorial service a month later. The incident sparked further protests, even prompting Dicals to plan a bomb attack on police during a monthly ceremony in the parking lot where protesters mourned the student’s death. Chow was found with serious head injuries on the second floor of the parking lot. Sheung Tak Estate in the early hours of November 4, 2019, as police dispersed protesters in a nearby demonstration. He died in the hospital four days after a cardiac arrest. No security camera captured his movements when he entered the third floor of the building, eight seconds before the fall. Critics have questioned whether the police obstructed or delayed Chow’s treatment while dispersing protesters at the nearby rally. Some also suggested that he could have jumped from the building either because he was hit by tear gas fired or because he was being pursued by officers. while Superintendent Wu Ka-yan said the student could have jumped over the edge of the parking lot under the misconception that he would land on a path behind him instead of falling four meters to the ground below. A lawyer for the force maintained that stance in the investigation, insisting that it was the only conclusion that could be reached, particularly when security footage revealed that two unidentified men had also thought there was a cover behind the wall and attempted to jump over it the same night, only to stop at the final moment. Chow’s family attorney cautioned against making “bold claims,” adding that it would be “very dangerous” to assume he would make the same mistake as the duo without concrete evidence. Orning Post: * Decision on the cause of the Hong Kong student’s fatal fall is expected on Friday, as the jury ordered to rule out the possibility of his being pushed * Hong Kong protests: three convicted of riots and other charges for the airport chaos, assault on mainland China reporter Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam praises the national security law for helping bring calm to the city after the 2019 protests. South China Morning Post news download our mobile app. Copyright 2021.
