For failing to register an aid fund that paid for legal fees and medical treatment for pro-democracy protesters in 2019, Cardinal Joseph Zen and five other people were sentenced by a court in Hong Kong on Friday.
The Bishop Emeritus of Hong Kong, and the others affected, were fined $510 on November 25. It was for failing to register the “612 Humanitarian Aid Fund,” which closed its operations in October 2021 and of which they were trustees.
The Cardinal, who appeared at West Kowloon Magistrates Court with a cane, denied all charges. After the verdict, Cardinal Zen told reporters that the ruling should not be linked to the city’s religious liberties.
“I saw many people abroad concerned about the arrest of a cardinal. He is not related to religious freedom. I am part of the background. (Hong Kong) has not suffered damage to their religious freedom,” he was quoted as saying by CNN.
“I am just a Hong Kong citizen who supports the provision of humanitarian assistance,” he added.
The trial against the Cardinal carried out between September and November, focused on whether it was necessary for the trustees of the relief fund to request the registration of the company between 2019 and 2021.