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HONG KONG: A 90-year-old Catholic cardinal and 5 others stood trial in Hong Kong on Monday for allegedly failing to register a now-defunct fund set as much as help folks arrested within the mass anti-government protests within the metropolis three years in the past.
Cardinal Joseph Zen, who’s a retired bishop of Hong Kong, was first arrested in Could along with others together with singer Denise Ho and barrister Margaret Ng on suspicion of colluding with international forces to hazard China’s nationwide safety.
Whereas they haven’t but been charged with nationwide security-related fees, Zen and 5 others have since been charged for failing to correctly register the now-defunct 612 Humanitarian Aid Fund.
Zen, along with Ho, Ng in addition to cultural research scholar Hui Po Keung and former lawmaker Cyd Ho, have been trustees of the fund. A sixth defendant, Sze Ching-wee, was the fund’s secretary.
The Societies Ordinance requires native organisations to register or apply for an exemption inside a month of their institution. Prosecutors say Zen and the others failed to take action.
The case will primarily centre round whether or not the 612 Humanitarian Aid Fund is taken into account an organisation that’s obliged to register.
The fund helped pay medical and authorized charges for arrested protesters throughout the anti-government protests in 2019 and later ceased operations in August 2021.
All have pleaded not responsible. If convicted, they face a high-quality of as much as 10,000 Hong Kong {dollars} ($1,273), with no jail time.
The case has despatched shockwaves by means of the Catholic group, though the Vatican has been muted on Zen’s arrest, stating solely that it was monitoring the event of the state of affairs intently.
It additionally comes because the Vatican is working to resume its settlement with the Chinese language authorities over the appointment of bishops in China, through which Beijing recommends bishops that are then authorised and appointed by the pope.
The 12-million robust Catholic group is cut up between the “underground” church, which acknowledge the pope, and those that attend state-sanctioned church buildings managed by the Chinese language Patriotic Catholic Affiliation.
In Hong Kong, the place there are about 390,000 Catholics in a inhabitants of almost 7.3 million, the Catholic church has not but confronted mainland-style restrictions on freedom whilst Beijing tightens its grip over town.
Zen has overtly criticised Vatican’s take care of China, calling it a “sell-out” of China’s “underground” Catholics which might be loyal to the Vatican. He has been seen as a considerably controversial determine for his open criticism of Beijing and ties with Hong Kong’s pro-democracy camp.
The case can be a part of an ongoing crackdown on dissent within the metropolis. Following the protests, Beijing carried out a tricky nationwide safety legislation that outlaws secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with international forces to intervene within the metropolis’s affairs.
The legislation has been broadly seen as a way to stamp out dissent and has been used to arrest over 150 folks because it was carried out, a lot of whom are pro-democracy supporters and activists.
A lot of the metropolis’s outspoken pro-democracy activists are both in jail or have fled town.
Cardinal Joseph Zen, who’s a retired bishop of Hong Kong, was first arrested in Could along with others together with singer Denise Ho and barrister Margaret Ng on suspicion of colluding with international forces to hazard China’s nationwide safety.
Whereas they haven’t but been charged with nationwide security-related fees, Zen and 5 others have since been charged for failing to correctly register the now-defunct 612 Humanitarian Aid Fund.
Zen, along with Ho, Ng in addition to cultural research scholar Hui Po Keung and former lawmaker Cyd Ho, have been trustees of the fund. A sixth defendant, Sze Ching-wee, was the fund’s secretary.
The Societies Ordinance requires native organisations to register or apply for an exemption inside a month of their institution. Prosecutors say Zen and the others failed to take action.
The case will primarily centre round whether or not the 612 Humanitarian Aid Fund is taken into account an organisation that’s obliged to register.
The fund helped pay medical and authorized charges for arrested protesters throughout the anti-government protests in 2019 and later ceased operations in August 2021.
All have pleaded not responsible. If convicted, they face a high-quality of as much as 10,000 Hong Kong {dollars} ($1,273), with no jail time.
The case has despatched shockwaves by means of the Catholic group, though the Vatican has been muted on Zen’s arrest, stating solely that it was monitoring the event of the state of affairs intently.
It additionally comes because the Vatican is working to resume its settlement with the Chinese language authorities over the appointment of bishops in China, through which Beijing recommends bishops that are then authorised and appointed by the pope.
The 12-million robust Catholic group is cut up between the “underground” church, which acknowledge the pope, and those that attend state-sanctioned church buildings managed by the Chinese language Patriotic Catholic Affiliation.
In Hong Kong, the place there are about 390,000 Catholics in a inhabitants of almost 7.3 million, the Catholic church has not but confronted mainland-style restrictions on freedom whilst Beijing tightens its grip over town.
Zen has overtly criticised Vatican’s take care of China, calling it a “sell-out” of China’s “underground” Catholics which might be loyal to the Vatican. He has been seen as a considerably controversial determine for his open criticism of Beijing and ties with Hong Kong’s pro-democracy camp.
The case can be a part of an ongoing crackdown on dissent within the metropolis. Following the protests, Beijing carried out a tricky nationwide safety legislation that outlaws secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with international forces to intervene within the metropolis’s affairs.
The legislation has been broadly seen as a way to stamp out dissent and has been used to arrest over 150 folks because it was carried out, a lot of whom are pro-democracy supporters and activists.
A lot of the metropolis’s outspoken pro-democracy activists are both in jail or have fled town.
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