Court of Appeal upholds ruling that 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund was an unregistered society

The Court of Appeal on Thursday upheld a magistrate’s findings that the now-defunct 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund fell within the definition of a society under the Societies Ordinance and its members were required to register the group with police or ask for an exemption.

The court found the registration scheme was constitutional and that it did not impose an unacceptably harsh burden on the exercise of the right to freedom of association.

The three presiding judges also ruled that the fund was not a validly constituted trust but instead a vehicle for supporting the 2019 protest movement, with the appellants sharing mutual rights and obligations to achieve that end.

The sixth defendant, fund secretary Sze Ching-wee, did not file an appeal against his conviction and HK$2,500 fine.