A good talkshow about this incident.
Translation of points below...
Incident: The Sparks Alliances prosecution by POPO for money laundering is
first started by the Hong Kong Bank stopping the use of their bank account.
Currently the details are not disclosed to the public and we can only
expect the funds (about 70 millions HKD) is to be freezed for several years.
Difficulties for the Movement:
1. Money laundering acts like an universal key to prosecure protesters.
The charging of protesters using this crime is relatively easy for POPO.
Active proofs from POPO is not needed, but active proofs from the defendent is required.
This is like the prosecutions using Dishonest Uses of Computers before.
As long as your bank account, e.g. has been used by others and you have not manage all its
transaction personally, you can easily be charged.
2. Money laundering require your active proofs of innocence.
e.g. you need to prove what the money in your bank account is for.
Otherwise, the judge will have disadvantage presumptions on you.
3. POPO is also a political suppression tools for the HK government.
The model is strikingly similar to how the POPO acts in China.
This means they will freeze even more assets like this if needed.
4. Selective prosecution is enforced.
For the yellow camps, the prosecution is pushed to the stronger
extreme to very severe punishment, on even very small matters.
e.g. Having a bottle can prosecute you for making Molotov Bombs.
For the blue camps who support POPO and government, they are not punished
and in some case even rewarded for their crimes.
POPO can also use this media exposure to smear the yellow wings with little costs.
5. Information for the protesters and supporters in touch with the fund
should have already exposed to the police.
The pattern of the police action is like this:
For those services that support protesters,
the services and companies are prosecuted by POPO using some framed crimes,
POPO then collect information from the services and then prosecute down the network
Situation Analysis:
1. Bank suppress protester's funds means government is on the move.
Government is looking to suppress services to protesters.
2. Prosecution in the name of money laundering is relatively easy in Hong Kong.
The definitions is loose and POPO even does not need to prove the money are being used for specific criminal purposes.
This is a Universal Key to prosecute protesting groups.
3. In the future, we need to pay attention to other protester services being suppressed.
e.g. lawyers, teachers, medic, support groups, news, mobile network providers.
The suppression of these means the governing model is very near to that in China.
Solution: not many
1. Inform the World, ask for help.
Topics:
International financial center arbitrarily freeze funds that help protesters.
The reasoning from POPO on Sparks Alliance money laundaring is to tight comparing to international standard.
Selective Prosecutions of Sparks Alliance and the beneficiaries.
Suppress protesters supporting services, e.g. funding, supplies, lawyers, teachers, etc.
2. Race in Legislative + Chief Executive elections.