Joshua Wong and Hong Kong activists may have faced ‘undue delay’ in waiting one year for case, court hears

A magistrate yesterday questioned why prosecutors had taken a full year to bring four activists - including Scholarism convenor Joshua Wong Chi-fung - to court for allegedly obstructing police officers in the execution of their duties.

Eastern Court Principal Magistrate Bina Chainrai reminded the prosecution that League of Social Democrats vice-chairman Raphael Wong Ho-ming, 26; lawmaker Albert Chan Wai-yip, 60; Federation of Students secretary general Nathan Law Kwun-chung, 22; and Joshua Wong, 18, could apply for a stay of their trial on the basis of undue delay, claiming that they have been prejudiced.

The four were accused of obstructing officers in carrying out their duty at a protest outside the central government's liaison office in Western district on June 11 last year. Some protesters burned a copy of Beijing's white paper on Hong Kong.

All of them denied their respective charges.

Drama unfolded in the courtroom when the defendants were asked by a court interpreter whether or not they pleaded guilty to the charges against them after he read them out.

Raphael Wong shouted: "Not guilty for burning the white paper. Political prosecution is shameful. Wong Ho-ming is innocent."

Chainrai responded: "Here is not a platform for you to express your views on politics."