A Hong Kong court has ruled that seven people, including former opposition lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting, have a case to answer over alleged rioting during the Yuen Long mob attack in July 2019.
Lam, a former Democratic Party lawmaker, and six others stand accused of rioting in Yuen Long MTR station on July 21, 2019. On that day, over 100 rod-wielding men dressing in white stormed the station and indiscriminately attacked passers-by, leaving 45 people injured, including Lam.
District court judge Stanley Chan on Thursday ruled that the prosecutors had presented enough evidence to build a case against the seven defendants, local media reported. It came after they pleaded not guilty last month, when the trial began.
The mob attack marked a turning point during the 2019 protests and unrest, which were sparked by a controversial amendment bill to Hong Kong’s extradition arrangements. Police were criticised for responding slowly, as the white-clad men attacked people in the station.
The official account of the incident has evolved, with authorities claiming it was a “gang fight” between groups dressed in white and in black. When the trial began last month, the prosecution accused Lam, Yu Ka-ho, Jason Chan, Yip Kam-sing, Kwong Ho-lam, Wan Chung-ming, and Marco Yeung, of going to Yuen Long that day to purposefully provoke the men in white.
The prosecution’s case relied on an anonymous female witness, who claimed that the white-clad men had jumped over the turnstile and launched their attack after they “could no longer bear” the provocation, according to the Witness.
Lam and Yeung on Monday lodged an application that they have no case to answer in this trial. Lam’s lawyer, Catherine Wong, said that during a breach of the peace, people have a responsibility to try and resolve the situation.
Chan on Thursday dismissed the application. He adjourned the trial to next March after hearing that Lam would not be available in the coming months due to his involvement in a national security case.
The defendants are expected to summon witnesses when the trial resumes.
Lam has been remanded in custody since March 2021. The democrat, along with 46 other pro-democracy figures – including lawmakers and activists – stands accused of conspiring to commit subversion over his role in an unofficial primary election for the 2020 Legislative Council election.
He will appear in court next Wednesday for the national security case, when the prosecution is expected to deliver their closing arguments.
Beijing inserted national security legislation directly into Hong Kong’s mini-constitution in June 2020 following a year of pro-democracy protests and unrest. It criminalised subversion, secession, collusion with foreign forces and terrorist acts – broadly defined to include disruption to transport and other infrastructure. The move gave police sweeping new powers and led to hundreds of arrests amid new legal precedents, while dozens of civil society groups disappeared. The authorities say it restored stability and peace to the city, rejecting criticism from trade partners, the UN and NGOs.
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