(Clearwisdom.net) News from Hong Kong on August 19, 2002: In order to prevent the Hong Kong justice system from becoming an accomplice of Jiang Zemin's despotic regime, and in order to safeguard Hong Kong's rule of law and stand firm against the illegal persecution, today the 16 wrongfully charged and convicted Falun Gong practitioners refused to pay the fines imposed upon them by the unjust verdict.

Except for Swiss practitioner Simone Claudia, who was permitted by the court to leave Hong Kong before the conclusion of the trial due to a family matter, the 15 other practitioners, including three Swiss practitioners, one New Zealander of Chinese descent, and 11 local Falun Gong practitioners, remain in Hong Kong. The three Swiss practitioners who were scheduled to leave for home that day decided to postpone their departure in order to refuse to pay the fines.

The 16 Falun Gong practitioners held a press conference on August 19 to explicitly declare their intentions not to pay the fines after the court refused to postpone the deadline. They also stated that they would appeal the verdict over the wrongful charges of "public obstruction" and "assaulting the police." They raised many questions and doubts about the biased and unfair verdict in terms of facts and the law. (Please see today's article, "The Injustice of the Verdict").

After the first trial ended on August 15, the 16 practitioners delivered an appeal notice to the Western Magistracy through their attorney. On the afternoon of August 19, the practitioners, accompanied by their attorney, filed court papers with the Western Magistracy to seek a delay for paying the fines. Magistrate Symon Wong upheld the original verdict and required them to pay the fines on that very day, but he did not mention taking any further action. However, the prosecutor had expressed in the courtroom that these practitioners could choose to either pay the fines or be put in jail.

Falun Dafa Practitioners clarified the truth at the press conference held on August 19

On August 20, some pratitioners practiced exercises and sent forth Righteous Thoughts in front of the Liaison Office as usual

At the press conference yesterday, one victim of the false charges, practitioner Lu Jie, expressed that Hong Kong's Basic Law and human rights endow the people with the right to freedom of speech and freedom of assembly; therefore, the people should be allowed a certain space to exercise these rights. How could the authorities so casually convict them of the charge of "public obstruction?"

As for the issue of the fines, Lu Jie pointed out that all 16 practitioners have decided not to pay the fines. The deadline for paying the fines was 5:00 p.m. yesterday. Lu Jie emphasized that it was not a matter of money, nor should their actions be seen as defying the court's orders. They were refusing to pay fines imposed upon them by a Hong Kong court that was being manipulated by the Jiang regime. Their actions were meant to safeguard Hong Kong's justice system against such manipulation, and to uphold Hong Kong's rule of law that is based on righteousness and justice.

Lu Jie further explained that their refusal to pay the fines was just to resist this persecution from the direct pressure of Jiang Zemin upon Hong Kong. On the surface, it is a prosecution, but actually it is a persecution-- the extension of the persecution against Falun Gong in Mainland China to Hong Kong and overseas. She said, "If today Falun Gong is persecuted, tomorrow, it could be any group, or any person that the authorities dislike.

In addition, Hong Kong Falun Gong spokesperson Kan Hung-cheung pointed out at the press conference that it was regrettable that the first verdict failed the test of upholding the rule of law and human rights. Hong Kong's courts in the past have given the impression of showing respect for the rule of law, preserving human rights and displaying a high level of professionalism and morality. However, those merits were not seen in this trial.

Kan Hung-cheung also pointed out that Symon Wong left out vital pieces of evidence and failed to address relevant laws properly. The guilty verdict against the 16 Falun Gong practitioners is impossible to support on a factual basis or from a legal standpoint. It is undoubtedly a wrongful case staged by the Hong Kong government under the Jiang regime's political pressure.

Kan Hung-cheung expressed that as for their appeals, they were considering filing a civil suit against the related authorities for false arrest and bringing false charges against the Falun Gong practitioners. In the meantime, he believed that practitioners around the world would also consider filing a collective suit against Jiang Zemin for committing monstrous crimes in his illegal persecution of Falun Gong.