[728 Sheung Wan riot] plead guilty to the defendant's petition: there is a riot in a city, it is not the people who should be ashamed, but the government

Case number: DCCC871/19

In the second trial of the 7.28 Sheung Wan riot case, 20 defendants who were convicted and 1 pleaded guilty pleaded guilty today (4th) at the West Kowloon Court Building. Among them, the 26-year-old defendant gave a personal statement, pointing out that the immediate cause of the incident was that the police condoned violence on July 21, and that the far reason was that the government ignored public opinion. , not the people, but the government."

The only 17th defendant in this case who pleaded guilty to rioting before the trial, Jian Jianhuang, who was reported as an engineer in the case, put on a neat black suit and made a plea in court. He pointed out that in 2019, the demonstrations of more than one million people were orderly and showed public opinion, but the government still acted arbitrarily. When the protesters fought for the right to speak and hoped that the government would return power to the people, they were oppressed by the system. However, the government is strangling the roar of the people with an iron fist, and is now doing the opposite, not seeking to solve the problem, but only to solve the citizens who raised the problem.

At the end of the letter, he admitted that the crime was a little reckless, but reiterated that he had no guilt for the crime, so he did not intend to plead for mercy, describing the petition as just his "trying to live in reality, a small but real struggle", and thanked Judge Chen Zhongheng for letting him After making a detailed presentation, he said frankly: "It is not inevitable to be able to speak freely." After the presentation, the auditorium burst into applause, and some defense lawyers also clapped their hands.

Full text of the Chen Qing:

Hello sir, thank you for persuading me to apply for legal aid, but I choose to make the following statement as a defendant of riot.

Let’s talk about the recent causes of the riots first. July 28 is not a special day. It was because the police condoned violence on July 21, which made many people feel chilled. That night was the night with the deepest public anger. The demonstrations at Yuen Long's southern border on July 27, as well as this case on July 28, carry this anger against injustice.

As for the long-term cause of the riots, I think it is the lack of public opinion. As Martin Luther King once said, "riots are the language of those who are not heard." The government or the court's characterization of riots is precisely because the government ignores public opinion and leads to public resentment. soaring. I don't shy away from riots, because when there's a riot in a city, it's not the people who should be ashamed, but the government.

"It's useless for you to teach me peace"

We used to believe in the power of peace. On June 9, 1.03 million people; on June 16, 2 million people, with two million people marching in an orderly manner, showing the will of the people and winning an international title. However, the government still ignored the voices of citizens calling for the withdrawal of the amendments, and continued to act arbitrarily, leading to a series of demonstrations and riots in the future. In the Legislative Council on July 1, how much helplessness was portrayed in the graffiti "You taught me that peace is useless"? How disappointed? How much grief?

The fires are raging, and the symptoms of riots as a society are obvious, but the reasons behind them are often unknown, including the judges who sentenced the riots. A judge once said when sentencing: "I don't know what protesters are fighting for or show their power." I think what protesters are fighting for is the right to speak in society, to participate in social movements and decision-making, which is the so-called "return of power". to the people". It is a pity that the current system does not give the citizens sufficient voice, and there is no peaceful means to reverse this system. When society is full of policies that are against the people and irresistible, the system becomes a form of oppression. "Where there is oppression, there is resistance." Mao Zedong, who said "the barrel of a gun brings out power", pointed out the reasons for the revolution.

The Public Security Ordinance, which the prosecution relied on to sue us, was extended by the June 7 riots. Although it was revoked due to human rights disputes, sovereignty was handed over. In the Provisional Legislative Council in Shenzhen, there was no authority for public opinion.

The election is coming soon. With the improvement of the electoral system, there are only 2/9 of the directly elected seats in the Legislative Council, and the mandate of public opinion is getting worse. As a citizen governed by the law, I can't help but wonder: Are we still obliged to abide by a contract we never agreed to? Hearing this, Your Excellency may think that I have no remorse, that there is a high chance of repeat offenses, etc., but I don't think it's up to me to repeat offenses, or whether there will be riots in the future, nor is it something that the citizens can decide, but the political power.

At the end of the movie "Wu Zhuangyuan Su Qiyi", the emperor in the play was worried that the crowd of beggar gangs would threaten him and asked the beggar gang leader to dissolve the beggar gang. The head of the beggar gang responded, "Your Majesty, how many beggars there are in the world is not determined by me, but by you, Your Majesty. If the Emperor can rule the world in a safe and prosperous state, why would anyone want to be a beggar?"

Your Excellency, of course, what I hope is that the government will return power to the people, listen to the voices of the people, and respect the will of the people, so as to resolve the causes of the riots. But the government is now doing the opposite, stifling the roar with an iron fist, not seeking to solve the problem, but only to the person who raised the problem. How can the public be reassured?

If I can say this, I would like to thank Your Excellency for your magnanimity, because it is not necessary to be able to speak freely. I would like to thank my former team of lawyers and also thank the people who wrote the plea letters for me. I don’t want to waste the people who wrote the plea letters for me. My heart, so I submitted 14 letters of pleading to the court, which is a bit too much, but I hope you will take the time to read it and get to know me.

Your Excellency will find that in a free and open society, as the lawyer Shi said just now, I or we are not the ones who will be imprisoned. Although I was a bit reckless when the case was committed, I do not think the starting point is wrong. Aside from the guilt towards the people around me, I have no regrets, so I don't plan to ask for mercy, but I welcome your light sentence.

Finally, quoting a short passage from Qu Yuan's "Li Sao", "Yu Gu knew that Jianjian was in trouble, and could not bear it; he meant that the nine heavens thought it was right, and it was only for spiritual cultivation." Times, this love letter is my attempt to live in reality, a small but real struggle. This is the end of my plea, thank you sir.