http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1562629/democracy-protesters-arrested-chater-road-sit-will-refuse-renew-their
Democracy protesters arrested at Chater Road sit-in will refuse to renew their bail
Charge us or release us, say activists, citing fears that police will use the report-back system to constrain their ability to protest
PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 30 July, 2014, 1:46pm
UPDATED : Wednesday, 30 July, 2014, 3:20pm
Joyce Ng joyce.ng@scmp.com
Police arrested 511 people during the Chater Road sit-in on July 2, but most were released with warnings. Photo: Felix Wong
Sixteen people arrested during a sit-in protest on Chater Road on July 2 will refuse to renew their bail licences on Thursday, saying they fear that police will constrain their ability to protest in future.
The overnight protest had followed the July 1 pro-democracy march, and offered a glimpse of what the city can expect from the planned Occupy Central sit-in.
The 16 say they are willing to admit their guilt and that police should charge them immediately or release them unconditionally.
“We will refuse to renew bail as we believe our act on July 2 was civil disobedience. If police have enough evidence, they should prosecute us now,” said Alex Chow Yong-kang, secretary general of the Federation of Students.
“We are ready to admit our guilt and accept the relevant penalty,” he added.
Chow was one of the 511 people arrested during the sit-in, at which protesters called for open elections and criticised Beijing’s handling of Hong Kong affairs.
Of those arrested, 25 were released on bail – with 16 now refusing to renew it – while the rest received warnings.
Johnson Yeung Ching-yin, convenor of the Civil Human Rights Front and one of the 16, said they believe police will constrain their ability to protest using the report-back system, which requires bailed protesters to visit police stations at regular intervals.
“Our experience is that the police can keep asking us to report back for a year and on dates like June 4 and July 1,” he said, referring to the dates of the Tiananmen anniversary and annual pro-democracy march.
“Either they should charge us now or release us unconditionally,” Yeung added.
The front organises the July 1 march each year.
The federation and the front are planning another wave of civil disobedience in late August if, as expected, China’s top legislature rules out public nomination of candidates for the 2017 chief executive election.
Occupy organisers plan to rally thousands to camp out in Central if the government's official reform plan, expected in October, does not guarantee a genuine choice between candidates for voters.
The overnight protest had followed the July 1 pro-democracy march, and offered a glimpse of what the city can expect from the planned Occupy Central sit-in.
The 16 say they are willing to admit their guilt and that police should charge them immediately or release them unconditionally.
“We will refuse to renew bail as we believe our act on July 2 was civil disobedience. If police have enough evidence, they should prosecute us now,” said Alex Chow Yong-kang, secretary general of the Federation of Students.
“We are ready to admit our guilt and accept the relevant penalty,” he added.
Chow was one of the 511 people arrested during the sit-in, at which protesters called for open elections and criticised Beijing’s handling of Hong Kong affairs.
Of those arrested, 25 were released on bail – with 16 now refusing to renew it – while the rest received warnings.
Johnson Yeung Ching-yin, convenor of the Civil Human Rights Front and one of the 16, said they believe police will constrain their ability to protest using the report-back system, which requires bailed protesters to visit police stations at regular intervals.
“Our experience is that the police can keep asking us to report back for a year and on dates like June 4 and July 1,” he said, referring to the dates of the Tiananmen anniversary and annual pro-democracy march.
“Either they should charge us now or release us unconditionally,” Yeung added.
The front organises the July 1 march each year.
The federation and the front are planning another wave of civil disobedience in late August if, as expected, China’s top legislature rules out public nomination of candidates for the 2017 chief executive election.
Occupy organisers plan to rally thousands to camp out in Central if the government's official reform plan, expected in October, does not guarantee a genuine choice between candidates for voters.
