A court in Hong Kong has decided that the convictions of Cardinal Joseph Zen and four other activists will stand. This means the judge rejected their attempt to clear their names.

Here is the background: The group was originally charged for their work with a fund called the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund. This fund was set up to help pay for legal fees and medical bills for people who took part in the large protests in Hong Kong back in 2019.

Authorities claimed the group did not register the fund properly as a legal organization. Because of this, the Cardinal and the others were found guilty of failing to follow local registration rules. They were fined for this failure.

The group fought back by filing an appeal, which is a way to ask a higher court to look at the case again and change the outcome. However, the court decided on Tuesday that the original ruling was correct.

Cardinal Zen is a well-known figure and a retired leader of the Catholic Church in Hong Kong. He has been a vocal supporter of pro-democracy groups in the city. The case has been closely watched by people around the world who are concerned about how Hong Kong handles political dissent and freedom of speech.

Source: AP News