香港デモで警察の銃撃受けた元高校生、出廷せず　亡命か

【香港ＡＦＰ＝時事】香港で昨年、民主派デモの最中に警察に銃で撃たれ、その後起訴されていた元男子高校生が出廷せず、22日に逮捕状が出された。ある活動家団体は、被告は「亡命した」と主張している。（写真は曾志健被告）
　曾志健被告（１９）は、暴動と警察襲撃で罪状認否を行う予定だったが、出廷しなかった。
　７か月以上続き、暴力沙汰も多かった香港の大規模民主派デモで、初めて実弾で撃たれたのが曾被告だった。
　曾被告に対する逮捕状が出されて間もなく、活動家団体「香港の友（ＦＯＨＫ）」は、１０月２７日に在香港米領事館で亡命しようとしたが認められなかった４人の中に、曾被告もいたと発表した。
　ただ同団体は、曾被告が他の活動家ら同様、外国に脱出したかどうかには言及しなかった。
　ＡＦＰは１０月に曾被告にインタビューを行っていた。その中で被告は、撃たれたことで「人生が完全に変わった」と語り、高校を中退して肺の一部の切除を受けたと明かしていた。
　最近著名な活動家や元弁護士らが、亡命を相次いで発表。中には、抗議活動をめぐり訴追されている人もいる。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2020/12/23-08:52）

A warrant was issued Tuesday after a court no-show for a Hong Kong student who was shot by police during last year's democracy protests, as an activist group claimed he had gone into exile.
Tsang Chi-kin, 19, had been due to appear in court to plead to charges of rioting and assaulting police officers but failed to show up.
He was the first person to be shot with a live round during the more than seven months of huge and often-violent democracy demonstrations that convulsed Hong Kong.
Footage streamed on social media showed a policeman firing his revolver at close range as Tsang and a group of masked activists attacked officers with poles during protests that erupted across the city on China's National Day.
The shooting further fuelled already high public anger over the level of violence used by the police to quell rallies, something the force has maintained was proportionate to the threat they faced.
In court on Tuesday, prosecutors revealed Tsang had stopped reporting for bail in late October and has yet to be located.
The judge then issued an arrest warrant.
Shortly afterwards, activist group Friends of Hong Kong (FOHK) published a statement saying Tsang was among four people who tried and failed to claim asylum at the US Consulate in Hong Kong on October 27.
(Tsang), along with his group who is still free, is now formally declaring that they are in exile, the statement read.
FOHK did not make clear whether Tsang had managed to escape overseas like some activists have done.
He had to surrender his passport as part of his bail conditions.
Tsang did not return messages on Tuesday.
AFP interviewed Tsang in October as he prepared for his trial. He had previously indicated to the court that he intended to plead guilty.
He described joining the democracy movement that saw millions hit the streets, devolving into increasingly violent clashes with police.
Being shot completely changed my life, he had said, adding that he dropped out of school and had some of his lung removed.
Ongoing legal proceedings limit what can be reported about Tsang's actions on the day he was shot.
Several prominent Hong Kong activists and former lawmakers have announced that they have gone into self-imposed exile recently, some fleeing criminal charges linked to their protesting.
A national security unit arrested 19-year-old activist Tony Chung just outside the US consulate the same day Tsang's group failed to seek asylum there. Local reports at the time said they were turned away.
With the very rare exception, the US does not allow its consulates or embassies to be places where people can claim asylum or seek shelter.
Another group of Hong Kongers who were facing charges and tried to flee to Taiwan by speedboat were captured by the Chinese coast guard and are now being prosecuted in the mainland's opaque legal system.