Hong Kong’s courts are clogged with a backlog of protester trials nearly a year after an explosion of huge pro-democracy rallies, with hundreds …
Hong Kong’s courts are clogged with a backlog of protester trials nearly a year after an explosion of huge pro-democracy rallies, with hundreds of mostly young demonstrators facing the prospect of lengthy jail terms.
Nearly 9,000 people have been arrested since the often violent protests kicked off last June with 1,600 proceeding to trial so far, according to police.
The result is a judicial system struggling under the strain as Hong Kong lurches through a political crisis that shows no sign of ending.
« This caseload is unimaginable, » said Jonathan Man, a veteran rights lawyer on a team working pro bono to defend around half of those facing charges.
The city’s judicial system is struggling under the strain as Hong Kong lurches through a political crisis that shows no sign of ending
Anthony WALLACE, AFP
« Each case is only rationed a very small amount of resources from the prosecution and judiciary, which results in investigation and trial delays, » he told AFP.
A three-month closure of most of the court system during the coronavirus outbreak compounded delays.
A university student who asked to be identified as Windy has been on bail for the last seven months.
She is one of almost 600 people charged with rioting, a colonial-era law that carries up to a decade in jail.
Last year’s rallies died down as the coronavirus spread but they have flared anew as social distancing measures are eased
Ye Aung Thu, AFP/File
« I have to change my life plan as I can’t get a job in a large company if I get convicted, » she told AFP.
Her case illustrates the volume passing through the courts.
