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Hong Kong Occupy leaders should be sentenced leniently so that the city can rediscover its pragmatism
- Harsh sentences will only further polarise society and, given that there has been little disruption on the scale of Occupy since 2014, will not serve a deterrent purpose. Hongkongers need to focus on working together to solve pressing problems
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Nine leaders of Hong Kong’s Occupy movement were recently convicted of various crimes and the “usual suspects” from around the world came out with accusations of injustice, political manipulation and so on. So quick off the mark were they with their comments that they cannot have read the judgment, although it was available online.
If they had done so and were looking at the situation objectively, they would surely have revised their opinion. For the judge took almost 300 pages to comprehensively set out his reasoning, to demolish some of the most popular misconceptions about the cases and to make numerous references to common law principles, the foundations of Hong Kong’s legal system.
If, after all this, doubts remain, there is scope to make use of our well-established provision for appeals. Surely, the rule of law continues to be safe and robust in Hong Kong.
The next stage will be the actual sentencing of those found guilty, which could range from years in jail downwards. Some hope severe punishment will be meted out for the almost three months of disruption and loss in 2014. The better arguments, however, are in favour of leniency.
We know that the eyes of the world will be on that courtroom. Heavy penalties will simply give ammunition to the critics, who have been poised since the verdicts to unleash volleys of follow-up fire, accusing the authorities of persecution of idealists. A more lenient approach would leave those critics looking rather foolish.
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