26 April 2022

Summary: 

A Hong Kong citizen was sentenced to an incredibly long prison term of four years and four months simply for attending public meetings, calling the Hong Kong police “damned black cops, “and failing to obey a police officer’s order.

Such brutal punishments are imposed by communist China on dissidents who are basically not guilty of anything.

In detail:

Tam Tak Chi, a Hong Kong pro-democracy activist, was sentenced to 40 months in prison and fined HK$5,000 for using seditious language and disorderly conduct in a public place.

The 50-year-old activist was charged with 14 counts, including. cconspiracy to utter seditious words, holding or convening an unauthorised assembly, incitement to knowingly take part in an unauthorised assembly, and refusing to obey an order given by an authorised officer are all implied charges. According to Hong Kong Media, he was accused by the prosecution of making baseless accusations against Hong Kong police and insulting them by referring to them as “damned black cops.”

Chan ruled last month that there was no distinction between words aimed at the Communist Party, the central government, or the Hong Kong government.

Since his arrest in September 2020, the DJ and former People Power vice-chair has been detained. Tam’s sentencing was postponed after the Judiciary adjourned all court proceedings between March 7 and April 11 due to the city’s fifth wave of Covid-19.

“We are all aware of the Chinese Communist Party’s constitutional status in the Chinese constitution. Even after removing the words about the Communist Party, I believe the defendant has seditious intentions to undermine the SAR government “Chan stated.