The Hong Kong Court of Appeal has rejected the appeal filed by Zen, 94, and four other former fund administrators, thereby upholding the convictions handed down four years ago.
According to Associated Press, the defense has announced it will now take the case to the Court of Final Appeal, the highest judicial body in the territory.
Zen was found guilty in November 2022 along with singer Denise Ho, academic Hui Po-keung, and former pro-democracy lawmakers Margaret Ng and Cyd Ho. Each was fined 4,000 Hong Kong dollars—about 440 euros—for violating the Societies Ordinance.
The offense for which they were convicted consisted of failing to register the 612 Fund as a society or to request an exemption within the one-month period established by Hong Kong law.
The court rules that the 612 Fund had to be registered
The 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund was created in June 2019 (it ceased operations in 2021) and provided financial, medical, and legal assistance to people detained, injured, or affected during the protests that shook Hong Kong that year. Zen was part of the group of trustees responsible for its management.
Judges Jeremy Poon, Aarif Barma, and Derek Pang have now ruled that the organization was not simply a sum of money managed through a trust, as the defense argued, but fell within the definition of a society established by Hong Kong law.
According to the ruling reported by AP, the magistrates noted that the five administrators intended to use the fund as an instrument to solicit, collect, and allocate donations to support the 2019 protests.
The court also rejected the argument that the registration requirement imposed a disproportionate burden on the exercise of freedom of association.
Following the ruling, Margaret Ng announced that the convicted individuals would appeal to the Court of Final Appeal. The former lawmaker and lawyer argued that the highest court must clarify what can be considered a “society” and the extent of the obligation to register with the police when several people jointly carry out an activity.
“It has a major impact on Hong Kong’s civil society,” Ng stated.
Detained under the National Security Law, but not convicted under it
The cardinal and the other administrators of the 612 Fund were detained in May 2022 on suspicion of “collusion with foreign forces,” an offense under the National Security Law imposed by Beijing on Hong Kong in 2020.
However, Zen was not charged or convicted of any offense under that law. The case that went to trial and for which he received the 4,000 Hong Kong dollar fine was exclusively related to the failure to register the 612 Fund.
His detention under the national security legislation caused considerable international attention and concern within the Catholic community at the time.
After receiving the conviction in November 2022, Zen himself asked that the case not be interpreted as one related to religious freedom in Hong Kong.
The prelate’s legal situation came back into the spotlight in December 2025, when the Court of Appeal examined the appeal filed by the five former administrators. The ruling announced on Thursday is the result of that proceeding.
A fund born during the 2019 protests
The Hong Kong protests began in 2019 in rejection of a bill that would have allowed the extradition of criminal suspects to mainland China. Although the bill was eventually withdrawn, the demonstrations continued for months and evolved into a broader movement against Beijing’s growing control over the territory.
It was in that context that the 612 Fund was created, intended to cover, among other expenses, the legal defense of detained protesters and medical assistance for the injured.
In June 2020, the National Security Law came into effect, covering offenses such as secession, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with foreign forces. Since then, numerous pro-democracy leaders and activists have been prosecuted and imprisoned.
Authorities in Beijing and Hong Kong maintain that the legislation restored stability after the serious unrest of 2019, while critics argue that it has significantly reduced the space for political opposition and freedom of association in the former British colony, returned to Chinese sovereignty in 1997.
Zen, one of the most critical Catholic voices toward Beijing
A Salesian and bishop of Hong Kong between 2002 and 2009, Joseph Zen was created a cardinal by Benedict XVI in 2006. Since his retirement, he has continued to speak publicly both about the political situation in the territory and about the conditions in which Catholics live in China.
Zen has also been one of the most prominent critics of the provisional agreement between the Holy See and Beijing on the appointment of bishops and has repeatedly warned about the situation of Catholics who for decades remained outside the ecclesiastical structures recognized by the communist authorities.
At 94 years old, the cardinal appeared in court with the help of a cane. The dismissal of his appeal keeps the 2022 conviction in force, but does not yet close the case: the former administrators of the 612 Fund have announced their intention to take the matter to Hong Kong’s Court of Final Appeal.