Prague, Sept 7 (CTK) – Chinese citizen Dong Jiangqing has not committed a crime by taking a Tibetan flag from a protester in Prague during the visit of the Chinese president in March, an appeals court decided on Wednesday.
The verdict has taken effect. An administrative proceeding will decide on the possible punishment of Dong for committing an offence.
On March 28, Dong, 41, tore a Tibetan flag out of the hands of a pro-Tibetan demonstrator who was waiting for the motorcade with President Xi Jinping to pass by. Dong kept the flag and hid it.
Appeals court panel chairwoman Jaroslava Liskova said Dong clearly took the flag by force but it seems that he did no want to steal it. Dong considered the displaying of the Tibetan flag wrong with respect to the situation in China, Liskova said.
In July, Dong appealed the verdict of a lower level court that found him guilty of stealing the flag and imposed a fine of 15,000 crowns on him. Dong denied having committed a theft.
Dong failed to achieve a settlement on guilt and punishment then because the judge said he did not clearly admit that he stole the flag.
Dong justified his act saying he did not want “a flag symbolising division” to be shown “at the lovely and favourable times when the Czech and Chinese nations are coming clsoe to each other.” He wanted to return the flag later, he said. However, the court did not trust him. The demonstrator was returned the Tibetan flag only at a police station to which Dong was escorted.
