'Occupy Central' verdicts uphold rule of law in HK

As the day when nine leaders of an illegal campaign launched in the name of "democracy" were convicted of criminal charges ranging from conspiracy to causing a public nuisance to inciting others to do so, April 9, 2019, can be seen as another important milestone in the history of Hong Kong's rule of law.

The convictions have once again proved Hong Kong's independent judicial system is capable of delivering justice where it is due, despite desperate attempts by political forces in and outside the special administrative region to exempt the nine of any responsibility for their crimes.

The three initiators of the illegal campaign - Benny Tai Yiu-ting, Chan Kin-man and Chu Yiu-ming - were found guilty because they told the public in a "manifesto" that they had the right to block traffic in the name of "civil disobedience". But as the presiding judge ruled, "civil disobedience" is no excuse for breaking the law. It is fair to say that the guilty verdicts, though widely considered long overdue, have given Hong Kong society further reason to trust the justice system.