The defendants were convicted in 2022 for failing to register legal defence fund for protestors involved in the 2019 Hong Kong protests
2-MIN READ2-MIN ListenBrian WongPublished: 1:25pm, 3 Sep 2026Updated: 1:30pm, 3 Sep 2026Retired Catholic leader Joseph Zen Ze-kiun and four other activists have lost an appeal against their convictions for failing to register their legal defence fund for those involved in the 2019 anti-government protests in Hong Kong.
The Court of Appeal on Thursday upheld a magistrate’s findings that the now-defunct 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund fell within the definition of a society under the Societies Ordinance and its members were required to register the group with police or ask for an exemption.
The court found the registration scheme was constitutional and that it did not impose an unacceptably harsh burden on the exercise of the right to freedom of association.
The three presiding judges found that the fund was more than “a mere sum of moneys held by the appellants on trust”, as those who governed it were bound by two trust deeds setting out their mutual rights and obligations.
The sixth defendant, fund secretary Sze Ching-wee, did not file an appeal against his conviction and HK$2,500 fine.
The case was part of an ongoing investigation by police’s national security department into the group’s alleged collusion with foreign forces to impose sanctions on Hong Kong.
