Spokesman of the Fund, Professor Chan Kin-man, points out that as the oaths of the four legislators had been accepted by the President of the Legislative Council as effective and they have been serving as Legislative Councillors for a period of time, the challenge of their status launched by the Chief Executive is a violation of the authority of the Legislative Council, an interference against its functioning, and a political harassment of the legislators concerned.

Court proceedings concerned are costly and may easily amount to millions of Hong Kong dollars. While the C.Y. Leung administration is supported by public funds, the four legislators will have to bear the costs themselves. If they lose the cases, they may become bankrupt because of the heavy court expenditures incurred by both the administration as well as the defence. “The asymmetry of the legal battles constitute an injustice, and may easily become an instrument for the government to suppress political dissidence. We the trustees therefore appeal to the community for financial support.”

The Fund will collect donations through street appeals, crowd-funding on the Internet and approaches to well-off individuals. The protest rally on New Year’s Day will be an important occasion for fund-raising. “We appeal for the generous support of Hong Kong people to ‘Defend Justice, Confront DQ’ with civic power.”

As the anticipated need for funding is substantial, the trustees of the Fund have to be cautious in meeting this severe challenge. The Fund will initially limit itself to pay for the expenditure incurred in the judicial review processes of the four legislators. Any surplus money will then be used in support of other court cases arising from political activities.

As two of the legislators are teachers and one of them still a student, the Fund has secured the help of the Professional Teachers’ Union in setting up a bank account for the collection of donations. In offering this service, the Professional Teachers’ Union would like to show its commitment in providing assistance and legal counselling to those who suffer political persecution.

Bank: Hang Seng Bank
Bank Account No.: 788-006039-001
Bank Account Holder: Hong Kong Professional Teachers’ Union

Trustees of the Justice Defence Fund:
Professor Joseph Yu-shek Cheng
Rev. Chu Yiu-ming
Professor Chan Kin-man