On April 28, Swiss-born photographer Progin Marc Gerard, 77, was re-acquitted in a lawsuit over his filming the “Lunch with You” demonstration in Central District, Hong Kong, in October 2019. After the ruling, Gerard said that he expected the original verdict would be upheld, and the prosecution had wasted time and money by asking for a review without any new evidence.
In her judgment, Magistrate Stephanie Tsui May-har upheld the verdict of “not guilty” she originally pronounced a year and a half ago, and ordered the prosecution to pay the defendant’s legal costs. The first not guilty verdict occurred on Nov. 13, 2020, when Tsui May-har said there was no evidence that Gerard had physical contact with protestors or anyone else present at the time, that he had not assaulted bank employee Lin Nan, and so, the so-called act of aiding and abetting disorder in public places was unfounded.
