SYDNEY, Australia—A local court in Sydney has thrown out all charges brought by the NSW Police against a 23-year-old China activist, dismissing two charges in two days.
NSW Police accused activist Drew Pavlou of failure to obey a move-on order from officers last May when scuffles broke out at a protest he had organised. Police also accused Pavlou of offensive behaviour for holding an anti-Xi Jinping sign in late April.
The defence’s lawyer, Tony Morris KC, told the court that his client had refused the order, believing he had the right to express himself freely in a peaceful protest and that the aggression was not coming from his client but from elements in the crowd….