Hong Kong's top court to rule on Tonyee Chow acquittal

Hong Kong's top court will decide Thursday whether activist Tonyee Chow Hang-tung is to be cleared of inciting others to join an unauthorized June 4 vigil in 2021.

The High Court cleared Chow in December 2022 after she was convicted for her role in the 2021 vigil, quashing her 15-month jail term. However, Chow remains in jail for a separate national security law charge.

The Court of Final Appeal will render a written verdict at 10 am this Thursday over two legal points brought up by the justice department: whether Chow could challenge the legitimacy of the police restraining order targeting the vigil and how a court should handle a defendant's challenge against a police order.

The verdict will be handed down by a panel of five judges including Chief Justice Andrew Cheung, permanent judges Roberto Ribeiro, Joseph Fok, and Johnson Lam, and non-permanent judge Anthony Gleeson.

Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions William Tam Yiu-ho and Senior Public Prosecutor Edward Lau Wan-cheung will be representing the Judiciary, while Senior Counsel Robert Pang Yiu-hung and barrister Chris Ng Chung-luen will be representing Chow.