Ten Hong Kong detainees face trial in China, US calls for their 'immediate release'

China on Monday began the trial of a group of people who have been accused of trying to illegally flee the country earlier this year and were caught by the Chinese coast guards. The group, popularly known as the 'Hong Kong 12', was detained by the Chinese authorities in August who alleged that they were trying to flee to Taiwan by boat. The trial of the group began on Monday in Shenzhen as per the schedule. 

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According to the Associated Press, 10 of the 12 members of the group appeared in the court on Monday. Several of the group's members are reportedly wanted in Hong Kong for their alleged participation in pro-democracy protests in the city in 2019. The group was allegedly trying to flee to Taiwan after the implementation of the National Security Law in Hong Kong by mainland China, which made them vulnerable to severe punishment even for protesting. 

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'Secret trial' 

According to the report, the group is being tried in a secret trial in China, where even the family members are not allowed. Human rights activists have called the trial a sham for not allowing the family members to attend the trial. "So actually it's a secret trial, and the family members do not have the right to attend the trial. That is absurd," said pro-democracy activist Lee Cheuk-yan in Hong Kong.

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After the arrest of 'Hong Kong 12' earlier this year, their family members held a joint press conference levelling a series of allegations against the Chinese Communist State. The family members called for the return of their relatives to Hong Kong, saying their legal rights were being violated. As per reports, lawyers hired by the family members were not allowed to meet with the 12-members of the group, one of whom is a 16-year-old teenager. 

The United States has called for the "immediate release" of the activists and has said that their so-called crime was to flee tyranny. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, while comparing conditions to that in Eastern Germany during the cold war, said that the Chinese government was preventing its people from "seeking freedom elsewhere".  

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