Hong Kong Court Upholds Conviction of 612 Fund Trustees Under Colonial-Era Law

On September 3, Hong Kong's Court of Appeal upheld the conviction of five trustees of the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund for failing to register under the Societies Ordinance, a colonial-era law. The ruling marks the latest use of such legislation against civil society organizations. The 612 Fund, established in 2019 to cover medical and legal costs for pro-democracy protesters, ceased operations in 2021. Its trustees, including Cardinal Joseph Zen and singer Denise Ho, were fined HK$4,000 each, while a separate National Security Law case remains open. The Societies Ordinance, enacted in 1911 to control gangs, has been criticized by the UN Human Rights Committee for its broad scope. Authorities have increasingly applied it against pro-democracy groups since 1997, alongside other colonial-era laws.