Hong Kong Occupy activist Raphael Wong loses contempt of court appeal
Hong Kong Court of Appeal rules that by refusing to leave Occupy protest site, Wong had committed contempt, regardless of his intention
By wishing to remain at a court-banned protest site during the Hong Kong Occupy sit-ins in 2014 an activist had committed contempt of court regardless of whether there was proof his true intention was to obstruct the administration of justice, an appeal court ruled on Friday.
The Hong Kong Court of Appeal as a result rejected Raphael Wong Ho-ming’s appeal against his conviction for contempt.
The League of Social Democrats vice-chairman was found guilty by a lower court last year after he and 19 others refused to leave the Occupy protest site in Mong Kok during a court-ordered clearance at the busy Kowloon district on November 26, 2014.
His lawyers argued in an appeal earlier this month that Court of First Instance judge Mr Justice Andrew Chan Hing-wai was wrong to find Wong guilty based merely on a “basic intent” that he wanted to remain in the area.
Raphael Wong did not intend to obstruct justice during Occupy protest, appellate court hears
They argued there should also be proof that Wong’s intention was to interfere with justice during the stay – what they called a “specific intent”.
