《TAIPEI TIMES》Hong Kong court paroles activists pending appeal

/ AP, HONG KONG

Hong Kong’s highest court yesterday freed pro-democracy activists Joshua Wong （黃之鋒） and Nathan Law （羅冠聰） on bail pending an appeal of their prison sentences after they were convicted of sparking massive protests in 2014.

The pair were imprisoned after the Hong Kong Secretary for Justice Rimsky Yuen （袁國強） succeeded in getting an earlier, more lenient sentence overturned, raising concerns about political interference in the courts and dealing a setback to the movement for full democracy in the Chinese-controlled territory.

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Wong, 21, and Law, 24, told reporters outside the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal that they were granted bail until their appeals are heard on Nov. 7.

They said they were looking forward to having meals with their families after what Law said were some “uncomfortable times” during their two months in prison.

Even though they have been bailed, they said that it was unclear if their appeals would be successful and that they were prepared to go back to prison.

He added that their time in prison was a chance for them to strengthen their determination.

“The world is watching the result of the case,” and what it means for rule of law and the “one country, two systems” principle that guarantees Hong Kong wide autonomy and civil liberties unseen in China, Law said.

Separately yesterday, the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs said it was informed by Chinese authorities that a Chinese-born Hong Kong bookseller with Swedish citizenship was released from Chinese detention, although his daughter disputed the news.

Ministry spokesman Patric Nilsson said the information about Gui Minhai （桂民海） was sent “overnight,” but he declined to give further details.

Gui disappeared from his Thai holiday home in late 2015, one of five Hong Kong booksellers believed to have been abducted and spirited to China for selling gossipy titles about elite Chinese politics to Chinese readers.

His daughter, Angela Gui, said in a statement that her father was supposed to have been released on Tuesday last week after serving a two-year sentence for an alleged traffic offense dating from 2003.

However, she said her father’s whereabouts were still unknown, adding that she on Monday “received a strange phone call from someone claiming to be my father” saying that he intended to apply for a Swedish passport, but first wanted to spend time with his ill mother.

“To my knowledge, my grandmother is not ill. My father is not in fact with her. It is still very unclear where he is. I am deeply concerned for his well-being,” she said.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES