Chinese authorities have indicted the 12 Hong Kong activists, who fled to Taiwan via boat. The group was apprehended by the coastguard about 70 kilometres southeast of the city on 23 August. Two of the group were charged with organising an illegal crossing, while two were minors and authorities said that a closed-door hearing concerning them would take place on a later date. Eight from the group were charged with illegally crossing the border.
If convicted, those charged with organising the crossing will face seven years in prison. The rest of them could be jailed for six months. No trial dates have been given. China's justice system, notorious for being opaque has a conviction rate of 99 per cent. All the 12 people detained, aged between 16-33, face protest-related charges in Hong Kong. The Chinese authorities who apprehended the group did not inform their Hong Kong counterparts for days after the arrest.
Beijing, in June, enacted the national security law, clamping down on Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement. The newly imposed law would mean Beijing would have some jurisdiction for some crimes and that mainland security agents could openly operate in the city.
