Families Of 12 Hongkongers Decry Sentencing Delay

The families of a group of Hongkongers on trial in Shenzhen on Monday for allegedly illegally entering mainland waters have called on the authorities across the border not to drag their feet in handing down sentences so that they could return to Hong Kong soon, after a court said a verdict would be announced at a later date.

The Yantian District People's Court held a one-day trial for 10 of the 12 Hongkongers arrested in August. They were believed to be trying to flee to Taiwan from Hong Kong.

According to the pro-Beijing Wen Wei Po, the 10 suspects pleaded guilty to their charges and appealed for a lenient sentence.

The court said on its website that both the prosecution and the defence had put forward their cases.

Families of the defendants were not given enough notice to travel to the court, given the mainland's 14-day quarantine requirement.

In a press conference in Hong Kong on Monday evening, the mother of Lee Tsz-yin said she thought it was a "bittersweet" Christmas present when she was told last week that a trial date had been set and that her son could return Hong Kong by Chinese New Year.

"They have already pleaded guilty, I don't understand why [the court] still has to drag its feet... You can mess with adults but they are only children, they had been put behind bars for four months," she said.

Former lawmaker Chu Hoi-dick, who's been helping the families, said there shouldn't be any delay in sentencing because it's a straightforward case and the defendants are said to have pleaded guilty.

"The fact that the court is delaying the date of sentence shows that they are trying to stop the [families] from going to meet the 12. I don't know the rationale behind this inhumane treatment," he said.

Other families also questioned the identities of the "relatives" who were allowed to attend the court hearing, saying they have no idea who they were and questioned how they received the court's approval in the first place.

They also complained that the lawyers, appointed by authorities for their loved ones, were not helpful at all, often refusing to take their calls.

Eight of the defendants are accused of illegal border crossing, while two face a more serious charge of organising the trip.

The remaining two detainees were not put on trial, the authorities said, because they are minors. They are to face a hearing with prosecutors instead.