Mandy Zheng

Former chief executive Leung Chun-ying has disclosed the names and schools of 18 teachers facing protest-related charges, which opposition lawmakers condemned as a breach of privacy laws.

The pro-establishment heavyweight has been critical of the Education Bureau for not announcing the personal details of teachers who committed personal misconduct during the social unrest.

Leung posted a list of the 18 teachers yesterday on Facebook, containing their names, ages, job titles and charges they faced. Seven teachers' schools were also revealed.

Among the 18 aged between 23 and 38, six were found guilty and jailed for four weeks to 13 months. The others are still on trial.

Offenses they face include rioting, arson, assaulting police officers, possession of weapons, criminal damage and unlawful assembly, among others.

Leung blamed the Education Bureau, the Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union and schools for "ignoring parents' right to know" by concealing the teachers' identities.

"When it comes to this issue, public interest overrides privacy," he added.

He said 803 Funds, a group he founded to trace anti-government protesters, would disclose such teachers' information to the public, starting with those facing charges, hinting there were more to come.

Last month, the group filed a judicial review against the bureau's refusal to reveal the names of teachers subject to protest-related complaints.

The bureau received 247 complaints against the teachers between last June and this August, but rejected Leung's request to make the records public.

Commenting on Leung's Facebook post, Democratic Party lawmaker Ted Hui Chi-fung said the move was a "Cultural Revolution-style struggle session" targeting the education sector.

"Although many of [the 18] have not been convicted, they were put on public trial by Leung for political purposes," he added, arguing that Leung's move had breached the Personal Data Privacy Ordinance.

Hui said he may bring a lawsuit against Leung via personal prosecution, or apply for an injunction order to bar him from publishing such data.

Leung Chun-ying

CY leaks names of 18 teachers on unrest charges