By Jessie Pang
HONG KONG (Reuters) – The first Hong Kong activist to defend himself in person in a landmark national security trial against 47 pro-democracy campaigners said on Tuesday that he had no remorse over the alleged conspiracy.
Ng kin-wai, 28, was one of 47 democratic activists arrested and charged in 2021 with “conspiracy to commit subversion to subvert the state power” for participating in an unofficial poll to select candidates for a 2020 legislative council election.
Ng told the court that he would shoulder the responsibility for what he did but “I will not apologise for the beliefs and values I share with my voters”, which prompted one of the presiding judges Alex Lee to ask if Ng had “no remorse”.
In response, Ng said “correct” and “as a politician, I expect myself to be responsible, to do my best, to stay till the last”.
Ng is among the fifth batch of the 45 convicted defendants to make mitigation pleas for a lighter sentence.
Under the Beijing imposed national security law in 2020, sentences for the offence could range from three years to life depending on culpability.
The mitigation hearings began in June, after 14 of the 16 defendants who pleaded not guilty were convicted in May.
Judge Andrew Chan said the discount Ng would be entitled to “will be significantly less than others” given his late plea and lack of remorse.
Born in 1995 and raised in Hong Kong after the city was handed over from Britain to China in 1997, Ng won a seat in the council of Yuen Long in 2019, a border district adjacent to Shenzhen. He later won more than 20,500 votes in a pre-selection ballot for candidates to stand in Hong Kong’s legislative election, which was postponed.
“The reason why I participated in the 35+ primaries… I believe no one wants to be ruled by a totalitarian regime,” Ng told the court.
“As a Hong Konger, I have a dream. I think everyone should have and deserve a free, equal and inclusive society, and a democratic system that effectively safeguards human rights, the rule of law and justice.”
The defendants are accused of plotting to force the government to meet the 2019 protest demands, by threatening to indiscriminately veto the budget after they secured a legislature majority with candidate selected through the primary election.
Ng told the court that it woud have been “impossible” to enter the legislative council and to indiscriminately veto the budget by relying solely on the 47 defendants, as it “requires the mandate of the whole city and the citizens”.
Ng said he was not aware that it was illegal to veto the budget until he was arrested on the 6th of January, 2021.
Ng also argued that the five demands by the protesters — including immediate realisation of universal suffrage — “are reasonable, and have not been found illegal by any court”.
Ng urged the court to consider that when the primary election took place, violent street clashes between protesters and police had lasted for a long time, and he “did not wish to see people getting injured, getting arrested, nor sacrificing themselves because of political incidents”.
“I chose to participate in the 35+ primary election because at least this means, although it is illegal, was peaceful, rational, and non-violent,” Ng said.
(Reporting by Jessie Pang; Editing by Michael Perry)
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