In the courts

The Court of Appeal allows 11 of the HK47 – convicted of ‘conspiracy to commit subversion’ over the 2020 pan-dem primary elections – to go to the Court of Final Appeal…

The defendants feature some of Hong Kong’s most prominent pro-democracy activists, namely Clarisse Yeung, Helena Wong, Owen Chow, Winnie Yu, Gwyneth Ho, Lam Cheuk-ting, Gordon Ng, Cheng Tat-hung, Kalvin Ho, Raymond Chan, and Leung Kwok-hung. 

What will happen? Two possible hints… The CFA has already upheld the law making it illegal to urge others to boycott elections, rejecting the notion that the law is a straightforward violation of freedom of expression. And under the NatSec Law, Beijing – through a NPC Standing Committee ‘interpretation’ – can override court decisions. 

Meanwhile, also from HKFP, the HK Bar Association…

…has asked a court to overturn its own disciplinary board’s decision clearing pro-democracy figure Margaret Ng of misconduct linked to her 2019 [unauthorized assembly] protest conviction. 

The legal challenge comes after the Barristers Disciplinary Tribunal decided in June that the complaint against Ng was unsubstantiated.

The complaint was linked to Ng’s conviction five years ago for taking part in an unauthorised assembly during the protests and unrest in 2019. She was cleared in 2023 of organising the demonstration.

Note the words “its own”. The Barristers Disciplinary Tribunal is part of the Bar Association. This is sort of like publicly slapping yourself on the face to show contrition. Maybe if the court fails to satisfy, the Bar Association will sue itself.

Stupidest AI rendition of Hong Kong I’ve seen for at least two days: landmark towers in the wrong places; a bay where there is no bay; a cruise liner where there are no cruise liners; a distant vast mountain range with ski resorts where there is no etc etc. Cobbled together to promote a ‘Wiki Finance Expo’, which sounds like it must be some sort of crypto, Web3, blockchain and AI bullshit-fest for ‘leaders, innovators and visionaries’. And indeed it is. (Speakers include Chivy Chan, a chief compliance officer.)