Johnson Yeung Ching-yin (楊政賢), 27, former convener of Hong Kong's Civil Human Rights Front (CHRF) and current board member of Amnesty International (Hong Kong), was arrested on July 28 during a protest in Sheung Wan and Central. After his release, Yeung delivered a moving speech outside of the Kwai Chung Police Station describing the Hong Kong police's fear tactics and abuse against the 49 protesters. Here's a personal note from Yeung and an English translation of the transcribed speech done by netizens.
Two days after my release, it is still painful to recall the grave silence and the reaction from my inmates when we heard of the rioting charges. I tried to cheer them up by telling stories about some prosecutors dropping charges after they brought a case to court, and named rioting cases where protesters were found not guilty. I'm not sure if the stories made a difference.
Being charged with rioting is not a matter of legal argument or the probability of winning and losing. It's a matter of someone’s life. We feel secure because we can predict our future; we know when to expect our next paycheck, we have visions about forming a family one day, and we're on the trajectory of a career path chosen by us.
