Hong Kong court lifts reporting restrictions on reporting on security case

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Hong Kong court lifts reporting restrictions on reporting on security case

HONG KONG: A Hong Kong court lifted restrictions on Thursday Aug 18 on reporting on the pre-trial proceedings of a landmark national security case involving 47 pro-democracy campaigners that has dragged on for more than a year.

The decision comes one day after the lifting of a reporting restriction for another national security case involving a civil society group behind Hong Kong's annual candlelight vigils commemorating victims of the Tiananmen Square incident in 1989.

The lifting of reporting restrictions was seen as a breakthrough by some activists. It is the first time that reporting will be allowed for pre-trial hearings for a national security case in Hong Kong.

Magistrate Peter Law, who had rejected previous applications to lift the reporting ban, did so on Thursday after being ordered by a High Court judge in the interest of open justice. It is a fundamental principle of criminal justice the public has the right to scrutinise whatever the court does, one of the defendants, Gwyneth Ho, told the court in a July hearing.

Since the 47 democracy campaigners were arrested in a city-wide dawn raid in February 2021, the case has been delayed repeatedly as prosecutors requested more time to prepare, with only 13 of the defendants granted bail.