Glossary for the Trial of National Security Law in Hong Kong (Fiction by Gwyneth Ho)
Your Honor:
The term “Anti-structure” I used in my news report comes from political theories. It refers to a sociocultural structure that intentionally counteracts the mainstream. Yes, it is what I do, and what I encourage my fellow activists to do.
When I used the term “dead end,” I was referring to how the hopelessness people feel about the implementation of the National Security Law. I was also referring to the symbolic system of elections that never conveys people’s wishes.
The term “totalitarianism” I mentioned in my comment suggests the regime’s total control of society through strict censorship, surveillance, and persecution of dissenters. Your Honor, you know as well as I do the answer to whether we are living under totalitarianism. I, a journalist accused of attempting to subvert the nation simply by revealing the truth, am undeniable proof of totalitarianism.
No, Your Honor, I do not plead guilty.
Do I have the “freedom” to apply legal approaches to express my opinions? Your Honor, when something is legal in other democratic countries but not legal here, or when something was legal before but not legal now, we don’t have “freedom.” A person in a free society doesn’t have to bypass political landmines with caution.
Your Honor, as you sit on the bench now, trying all means to convict me under the political pressure on your shoulders, without considering any possibility to acquit me, you are not a free man, either.
No, Your Honor, I am not submitting a mitigation plea. I have no remorse for what I have done, and I have nothing to repent.
No, Your Honor, I don’t campaign for militant activism. All the actions we take are simply reactions to the state violence we face.
No, Your Honor, if our debate here is for you to find reasons not to be remembered for your servitude to power, then you are the one seeking a mitigation plea from history and people’s memory.
About The Author
Gwyneth Ho, a Hong Kong journalist and pro-democracy activist, is incarcerated on the charge of “attempting to subvert the nation.” During her trial, she refused to plead guilty and did not file a mitigation plea for leniency. She faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.