DoJ receives 1,215 cases from police over 2019 unrest

The Special Duties Team of the Department of Justice (DoJ) received 1,215 cases related to the 2019 anti-extradition amendment bill incidents in Hong Kong and had given legal advice on 1,201 of them, the DoJ said in a response to media inquiries on Wednesday.

"Upon receipt of the evidence and the relevant documents from the law enforcement agencies, the prosecutors of the DoJ always handle the cases expeditiously, in accordance with the law and the Prosecution Code," the statement said.

Regarding the 2019 'anti-extradition amendment bill' incidents, related cases involving serious offenses such as rioting and unlawful assembly are handled by the Special Duties Team of the Prosecutions Division. As of today, the team has received 1 215 cases from the Police, and legal advice has been given to 1 201 of them (98.8 percent), it added.

Nevertheless, law enforcement agencies do not necessarily refer all their cases to the DoJ, and the reasons include: (1) the cases are still under investigation; (2) no follow-up action is necessary for the time being; (3) the evidence is considered insufficient to warrant referral of the cases to the DoJ; and (4) the cases have been handled by the law enforcement agencies in accordance with internal procedures, it said.