Senior counsel Paul Shieh says democracy activists should stop using that description as the three had pledged to face consequences from taking part in Occupy movement
A former chairman of Hong Kong’s Bar Association called on democracy activists to stop referring to the jailing of three students leaders as political persecution on Sunday, pointing out that it was the price they had pledged to pay by taking part in the civil disobedience movement.
Senior counsel Paul Shieh Wing-tai also defended the judgment handed down by the Court of Appeal last Thursday, which sentenced Joshua Wong Chi-fung, Nathan Law Kwun-chung and Alex Chow Yong-kang to jail for six to eight months over an illegal protest, though he admitted that the way it was written was “a bit emotional”.
Shieh, who revealed he had voted for Law in last year’s Legislative Council elections, was referring to the contentious remarks made by Court of Appeal vice-president Wally Yeung Chun-kuen, who had slammed the “unhealthy trend” of intellectuals advocating the idea of civil disobedience in Hong Kong – an argument which democrats considered conservative.
“I would say it is a bit emotional … The way he laid out the argument is not the usual expression we see in other common law judgments, ” Shieh told Cable TV in an interview aired on Sunday.
In the verdict, Yeung had written: “These people openly despise the rule of law. Not only do they refuse to admit their lawbreaking behaviour is wrong, they even see their acts as something to be proud of.”
He continued: “This arrogant and self-righteous thinking will unfortunately affect some of our young people and result in attempts to disrupt public order … during rallies, marches and protests.”
But Shieh said he believed Yeung had not meant to slam the idea of civil disobedience.
