Cardinal Zen, 5 other individuals stand trial in Hong Kong over fund
HONG KONG — A 90-12 months-previous Catholic cardinal and five other individuals stood demo in Hong Kong on Monday for allegedly failing to sign-up a now-defunct fund set up to aid folks arrested in the mass anti-federal government protests in the town three yrs in the past.
Cardinal Joseph Zen, who is a retired bishop of Hong Kong, was initial arrested in Might alongside one another with other individuals such as singer Denise Ho and barrister Margaret Ng on suspicion of colluding with foreign forces to endanger China’s nationwide protection.
Even though they have not but been charged with countrywide safety-connected expenses, Zen and 5 others have because been billed for failing to correctly sign up the now-defunct 612 Humanitarian Aid Fund.
Zen, jointly with Ho, Ng as perfectly as cultural reports 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 demands area organizations to sign up or use for an exemption in just a thirty day period of their institution. Prosecutors say Zen and the many others unsuccessful to do so.
The situation will mainly middle all over no matter if the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund is thought of an business that is obliged to sign-up.
The fund helped spend healthcare and lawful service fees for arrested protesters in the course of the anti-govt protests in 2019 and later ceased functions in August 2021.
All have pleaded not responsible. If convicted, they encounter a good of up to 10,000 Hong Kong pounds ($1,273), with no jail time.
The circumstance has despatched shockwaves via the Catholic neighborhood, while the Vatican has been muted on Zen’s arrest, stating only that it was monitoring the progress of the condition intently.
It also arrives as the Vatican is doing work to renew its settlement with the Chinese governing administration about the appointment of bishops in China, in which Beijing suggests bishops which are then authorised and appointed by the pope.
The 12-million powerful Catholic neighborhood is break up in between the “underground” church, which understand the pope, and those who attend state-sanctioned church buildings managed by the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association.
In Hong Kong, in which there are about 390,000 Catholics in a inhabitants of nearly 7.3 million, the Catholic church has not however faced mainland-model constraints on independence even as Beijing tightens its grip in excess of the metropolis.
Zen has openly criticized Vatican’s deal with China, calling it a “sell-out” of China’s “underground” Catholics that are loyal to the Vatican. He has been witnessed as a rather controversial figure for his open criticism of Beijing and ties with Hong Kong’s pro-democracy camp.
The circumstance is also element of an ongoing crackdown on dissent in the town. Adhering to the protests, Beijing applied a difficult national security law that outlaws secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces to intervene in the city’s affairs.
The law has been greatly found as a implies to stamp out dissent and has been used to arrest more than 150 men and women since it was carried out, lots of of whom are professional-democracy supporters and activists.
Most of the city’s outspoken professional-democracy activists are possibly in jail or have fled the metropolis.
HONG KONG — A 90-12 months-previous Catholic cardinal and five other individuals stood demo in Hong Kong on Monday for allegedly failing to sign-up a now-defunct fund set up to aid folks arrested in the mass anti-federal government protests in the town three yrs in the past.
Cardinal Joseph Zen, who is a retired bishop of Hong Kong, was initial arrested in Might alongside one another with other individuals such as singer Denise Ho and barrister Margaret Ng on suspicion of colluding with foreign forces to endanger China’s nationwide protection.
Even though they have not but been charged with countrywide safety-connected expenses, Zen and 5 others have because been billed for failing to correctly sign up the now-defunct 612 Humanitarian Aid Fund.
Zen, jointly with Ho, Ng as perfectly as cultural reports 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 demands area organizations to sign up or use for an exemption in just a thirty day period of their institution. Prosecutors say Zen and the many others unsuccessful to do so.
The situation will mainly middle all over no matter if the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund is thought of an business that is obliged to sign-up.
The fund helped spend healthcare and lawful service fees for arrested protesters in the course of the anti-govt protests in 2019 and later ceased functions in August 2021.
All have pleaded not responsible. If convicted, they encounter a good of up to 10,000 Hong Kong pounds ($1,273), with no jail time.
The circumstance has despatched shockwaves via the Catholic neighborhood, while the Vatican has been muted on Zen’s arrest, stating only that it was monitoring the progress of the condition intently.
It also arrives as the Vatican is doing work to renew its settlement with the Chinese governing administration about the appointment of bishops in China, in which Beijing suggests bishops which are then authorised and appointed by the pope.
The 12-million powerful Catholic neighborhood is break up in between the “underground” church, which understand the pope, and those who attend state-sanctioned church buildings managed by the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association.
In Hong Kong, in which there are about 390,000 Catholics in a inhabitants of nearly 7.3 million, the Catholic church has not however faced mainland-model constraints on independence even as Beijing tightens its grip in excess of the metropolis.
Zen has openly criticized Vatican’s deal with China, calling it a “sell-out” of China’s “underground” Catholics that are loyal to the Vatican. He has been witnessed as a rather controversial figure for his open criticism of Beijing and ties with Hong Kong’s pro-democracy camp.
The circumstance is also element of an ongoing crackdown on dissent in the town. Adhering to the protests, Beijing applied a difficult national security law that outlaws secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces to intervene in the city’s affairs.
The law has been greatly found as a implies to stamp out dissent and has been used to arrest more than 150 men and women since it was carried out, lots of of whom are professional-democracy supporters and activists.
Most of the city’s outspoken professional-democracy activists are possibly in jail or have fled the metropolis.