No deadline set for charging 7,000 arrested over Hong Kong protests, Chris Tang says
Security chief says establishing cut-off risks ‘legalising illegal acts’ amid calls for cases to be wrapped up after five-year wait
Hong Kong’s security chief has reiterated there is no time limit for charging about 7,000 protesters arrested over the 2019 social unrest, dismissing concerns regarding potentially delayed prosecutions while saying authorities could pursue some offenders even “after 20 years”.
Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung argued on Monday that promising such a deadline would go against the spirit of the rule of law and could risk “legalising illegal acts”.
Authorities have faced calls from some quarters to wrap up the cases, five years after the months-long anti-government protests gripped the city.
“Unless there is a time limit for prosecution, we will lodge a case when we have sufficient evidence and upon agreement from the Department of Justice. This reflects the spirit of the rule of law,” Tang said in an interview.
“I understand that some people have raised the idea that we should drop the cases based on a certain time frame, but this would in fact legalise illegal acts. I think this isn’t in line with the spirit of the rule of law. Illegal things are simply illegal.”
Police said that 10,279 people, aged 11 to 87, were arrested in connection with the 2019 protests, with 2,974 either having gone through or undergoing judicial procedures as of September.
