Two pro-democracy protesters were arrested for “possession of tools suitable for illegal use and intention for illegal use” on the International Human Rights Day and the New Year’s day, respectively. The charges were revoked in court on February 26 as evidence was inadequate.
The 19-year-old construction site worker applied to recover related litigation costs, but was opposed by the prosecution. The prosecution previously pointed to the bags of sugar found in the man’s backpack at the time of arrest in connection to petrol bombs. According to the prosecution, the man was laying himself open for suspicion by carrying sugar.
After the court session, aggrieved defendants expressed their dissatisfaction. The 19-year-old recalled that police officers kept threatening him, saying “no one could protect you, even the almighty Jesus can’t save you!” at the police station.
