Hong Kong Democratic Party Chairman Lo Kin-hei was previously charged with illegal assembly for participating in the anti-extradition protests, but the court ruled the charges unsubstantiated, and the Department of Justice’s appeal also ended in failure. The Court of Appeal of the High Court yesterday (10th) ruled that Lo Kin-hei is entitled to all the costs of his appeal.
In November 2019, Hong Kong saw the outbreak of the anti-extradition movement, with students and protesters occupying the Hong Kong Polytechnic University at one point. Several individuals, including Lo Kin-hei, were arrested by the police during the siege of PolyU. After trial, Lo Kin-hei was acquitted of the charge of illegal assembly. The Department of Justice filed an appeal, but in March of this year, the Court of Appeal upheld the acquittal.
According to Epoch Times Hong Kong, Lo Kin-hei subsequently applied to the Court of Appeal for all the costs of his appeal, and on the 10th, the Court ordered the Department of Justice to pay all the legal costs to Lo Kin-hei.
The Hong Kong Democratic Party, with over 30 years of history, announced in February of this year that it was beginning the process of dissolution.
Regarding the rumors of pressure causing the dissolution of the Democratic Party, Lo Kin-hei had previously stated that he would not comment on rumors in the community and expressed regret over the decision made by the party’s Central Committee.
In April of this year, the Hong Kong Democratic Party held a special members’ meeting with over 100 attendees (including authorized representatives). The meeting overwhelmingly passed a resolution authorizing the Central Committee to follow up on the dissolution matter.
It is reported that the Hong Kong Democratic Party is currently handling matters related to winding up.