Pan-dems Seek Backers For Election Ban Challenge

Several pro-democracy figures launched a crowd-funding bid on Monday as they seek to overturn the five-year ban on running for office for anyone given jail terms of three months or more.

A judicial review brought by League of Social Democrats’ chairman Raphael Wong is due to get underway on the issue at the High Court on Tuesday, but the group are hoping to raise at least HK$1 million in case they lose the case and go on to appeal.

Wong said the ban, which also applies to those given suspended sentences, is a "weapon" being deployed by the authorities, with around 40 serving lawmakers and district councillors either facing charges or having been arrested in the past year.

"I don't know if this is a list the government has, seeking to remove people from political candidacy. We don't know by the next poll how many of these 400-odd [serving] pro-democracy councillors would still be eligible [to run] in 2023," Wong said.

The activist was jailed for eight months last year for incitement to commit a public nuisance and incitement to incite a public nuisance during the 2014 Occupy protests. This makes him ineligible for September's Legco polls and the 2023 district council elections.

But Wong said it should be up to voters, not the authorities, to decide on the fate of would-be councillors.

Civic Party lawmaker Tanya Chan, who was given an eight-month suspended prison term over the Occupy protests and will not be able to seek re-election this September, told reporters that the crowd-funding exercise is not just being taken out of self-interest.

“We're talking about our future. We understand that a lot of young people really want to do something good for Hong Kong people. If they've got any kind of unreasonable ban, that is very sad," Chan said.