A Hong Kong appellate court dismissed appeals filed by Cardinal Joseph Zen, a 94-year-old retired Catholic bishop, and four other defendants regarding their convictions related to an unregistered charitable fund. The defendants—Zen, singer Denise Ho, scholar Hui Po Keung, and former lawmakers Margaret Ng and Cyd Ho—served as trustees of the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund, which provided medical and legal assistance to individuals arrested during anti-government protests until ceasing operations in October 2021.
The five individuals were initially found guilty in 2022 of violating the Societies Ordinance, a regulation requiring local organizations to register or obtain an exemption within one month of establishment. Each defendant was fined 4,000 Hong Kong dollars. The appellate judges concluded that the fund did not comply with registration requirements and that the trustees had intended to establish it as a vehicle for collecting donations to support the 2019 protest movement. The court stated that nothing in the evidence suggested the registration scheme imposed an unreasonably harsh burden on the defendants’ freedom of association.
The case has drawn attention from observers monitoring freedom of association protections in Hong Kong. Following the hearing, defendant Margaret Ng indicated plans to appeal to the city’s highest court, arguing that the decision could significantly impact civil society participation. She raised questions about whether the ruling would require registration with authorities for any collaborative activity.
Zen and the four other defendants were initially arrested in 2022 on suspicion of colluding with foreign forces under a national security law imposed by Beijing, though they were not formally charged under that provision. Zen’s arrest generated significant attention within the Catholic community. After his 2022 conviction, Zen stated his case should not be construed as related to religious freedoms. The convictions marked the first of their kind under the Societies Ordinance in these circumstances.
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