2024.09.02

For the Hong Kong 47 case involving the New East’s 9 people, their pleas were handled on Monday (2nd). The Witness obtained an unpublished plea letter personally written by Ventus Lau Wing-hong, in which he acknowledged his guilt because he had to admit that he was aware of and agreed with Benny Tai’s agenda, but noted that it was not his campaign focus. Lau stated, “If I had known that participating in the primaries would land me in jail, I absolutely would not have participated and would have chosen other ways to contribute to society.”

Ventus Lau Wing-hong, who presented his own plea, also read part of a plea letter written by his girlfriend, Emilia Huang, in court. She mentioned that Lau’s decision to enter politics was driven by his care for the people and his pursuit of democratization in Hong Kong, hoping to contribute his talents. Unintentionally caught up in this case, he has spent “the prime of his life” in prison, which has been a severe punishment.

Huang added that during the more than three years Lau has been detained, she visited him daily, rain or shine, “precisely because I believe he is not a criminal involved in deceit or theft, but someone who continues to deserve my care and effort.”

Contents of the two plea letters, below is the full text of Ventus Lau Wing-hong’s plea letter: 

10th June, 2024

Your Lordships,

I am well aware that I am facing a lengthy sentence for a serious crime. Yet it is still quite unrealistic for me. I had been taught to be a good citizen that cares about and engages in the society. I tried my best to play my part but finally ended up in jail.

I am no opportunist that appeared in the political arena right after the 2019 social unrest. My social engagement can be traced back to 2013, when I first became a voluntary community officer in an office of a Sha Tin District Councillor. In 2015, I was hired as a full-time assistant of another councillor. Since then, I was determined to commit myself to community service. I believed I could turn my beloved city into a better place through grassroot services and advocacies. I made many friends that shared the same insights as mine throughout the years. Most of them were young gentlemen independent from any political parties. 

I participated in the Legco by-election in 2018 for the vacancy in New Territories East constituency. My candidacy was disqualified by the Returning Officer, a decision that was later overturned by the Court. In 2020, I decided to have another go. The Primary Election seemed both necessary and beneficial to me. As an independent candidate that had no support from political parties. I had very limited resources for election. The Primary required much fewer resources than official election. It was also a good opportunity to eliminate major competitors from the pan-democrats. In order to join and facilitate the Primary, I would agree to sign any documents required by the organizers.  

I pleaded guilty because I must admit that I was aware of and agreed on the agenda put forward by D1. However, this agenda was never the focus of my campaign. In contrary, in the election forum, I emphasized that the ‘35+’ scheme was ‘a castle in the air’ and that we should get prepared for the ‘35-’ scenario instead. I formed a 9-person list in the Primary, which made it the largest list among all candidates. All teammates of mine were incumbent Sha Tin District Councillors. I stressed on our ability and experience in community service throughout the campaign. 

I genuinely believed that the Primary would not be illegal. Many legal professionals endorsed it and even participated in it. Even the Police helped facilitate my campaign street booths and maintain order at the polling stations on 11th to 12th July, 2020. These were to me all signals showing that the Primary was a legitimate one. I thought that the biggest risk was only disqualification. If I knew that I would be put into jail for the Primary, I would not have joined but opt for other ways to fight for the betterment of the society. 

I am 30 years old now. It should be a golden age for me to build my own career and family. However, I could only spend my past 3 years in prison, and possibly many more years to come. It is not only a punishment for me, but also for the people who love me. I am particularly regretful to my girlfriend, who keeps taking care of me all along. In prison, I continue to equip myself for the future. I understand that there are many other ways to contribute to the society besides politics. I plead for your lordships’ leniency so that I can fulfill my responsibility as a boyfriend and as a Hong Kong citizen as soon as possible.

Yours faithfully,

Lau Wing Hong (D34)

Here is the translation of the content read in court by Ventus Lau Wing-hong from his girlfriend Emilia Huang’s plea letter:

Your Honor,

I am Emilia Huang, an advocate for gender issues in Hong Kong, and the girlfriend of the defendant Ventus Lau Wing-hong. 2024 marks the 10th year since I met Ventus. I graduated from the prestigious Diocesan Girls’ School… Before him, I dated boys from traditional elite schools, from middle-class backgrounds, who were all very conventional. But Ventus is different: I had never heard of his high school, he comes from a grassroots background, and he’s not particularly handsome, but he possesses a unique kind of radiance.

In my eyes, Ventus is intelligent, articulate, a natural leader, always eager to acquire knowledge, sharp-minded, linguistically skilled, and endlessly curious… I believe with Ventus’s talents and abilities, he could have easily chosen a “normal” path, become a lawyer or a teacher, and lived a stable, comfortable middle-class life. Yet, he chose to enter politics, not for personal gain but entirely from his care for the people and his pursuit of democratization in Hong Kong, hoping to contribute his abilities to Hong Kong. Unfortunately, this led him to become entangled in this case and spend the prime years of his life in prison.

I met Ventus when I was just 19; now I am 29. During our ten-year relationship, more than three of those years were spent with him behind bars, meeting through visiting room glass and speaking through time-limited telephones. For over three years of detention, I visited him daily, rain or shine, because I believe he is not a criminal involved in deceit or theft, but someone who continues to deserve my care and effort.

Your Honor, much has changed in Hong Kong over these past few years, and I know that Ventus, having been detained all this time, has already received a significant punishment. While he never harbored any delusions of subverting the state, and whether now or in the future, he is no longer the naive young man he once was. He no longer harbors any illusions about entering politics to change society or engaging in any activities that could be deemed a threat to national security. He only hopes to regain his freedom as soon as possible. To prepare for this day, Ventus has pursued academic degrees in prison and taught himself multiple languages, and kept physically fit, all in hopes of emerging from prison a better, stronger, and more mature person.