Reuters: Falun Gong Lodges Appeal Against Guilty Verdict

Sat Aug 17, 6:03 AM ET

HONG KONG (Reuters) - The Falun Gong spiritual group said on Saturday it had appealed against the conviction in Hong Kong of 16 of its members in a case that has sparked fears that personal freedoms are under threat in the territory.

"We are holding out for a fairer ruling," said Kan Hung-cheung, a Hong Kong leader of the global movement, which has pledged to fight the verdict of the court that the 16 were guilty of public obstruction during a demonstration against Beijing.

Hung told Reuters lawyers for the defense had lodged the appeal with a magistrate, with a request that it be heard in the final court of appeal.

The group would also request that fines ranging from HK$1,300 to HK$3,800 (US$165-485) on each of the members be deferred pending the appeal, Hung said.

Rights activists said the charges should not have been laid. They fear Hong Kong may use Falun Gong as an excuse to speed up enactment of an anti-subversion law, which the government is required to make under its constitution.

China outlawed Falun Gong in 1999 [..]. Hong Kong and nearby Macau are the only places under Chinese rule where the group remains legal.

The South China Morning Post, Hong Kong' s leading English-language daily, said the treatment of Falun Gong was politically charged and it heightened a perception that the government was becoming more intolerant of civil right movements.

"There will be a need for cool heads to prevail when the convictions are challenged on appeal," the Post said in its editorial on Saturday.

Founded in 1992, Falun Gong [..] claims 100 million members in China and has attracted a following in at least 50 countries.

The 16 convicted in Hong Kong included four Swiss, one New Zealander and two U.S. residents from Hong Kong.