Some Young Demonstrators in Hong Kong Face Jail Time
HOLMES: Welcome back, everyone. I'm Michael Holmes. Let's update you on our top news this hour. Australia's firefighters struggling to knock down dozens of devastating bush fires. This as the prime minister pushes back at a growing call for increased action on climate change. He says his government is taking an appropriate response to the fires, saying it would be reckless to lower Australia's targets for carbon emissions. The U.S. Senate minority leader is again calling for White House official Mike Duffy to testify in the impeachment trial. Democrat Chuck Schumer citing newly-released documents that show efforts to freeze aid to Ukraine began 90 minutes after U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart in July. Shortly after that call, Duffy sending an e-mail telling officials to hold off sending aid. Turkey's president says about 80,000 Syrian refugees escaping violence in Idlib province are heading to the Turkish border. President Erdogan reportedly saying his country just can't handle the fresh wave of migrants. He blames Syrian and Russian attacks in the province for the refugees. He is sending a delegation to Moscow on Monday to discuss the situation. Protests in Hong Kong have been raging for more than six months now. Ever since the unrest began back in June, more than 6,000 demonstrators have been arrested. Now many are students who have risked everything for democracy, including their freedom and their future. CNN's Anna Coren looks at how their arrests are impacting the city's overburden judicial system.</s>ANNA COREN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On a Sunday afternoon back in October, thousands of Hong Kong protesters take to the streets, shouting their demands in the pouring rain. Among the crowd is Matthew. It's not his real name. He's asked us to hide his identity.</s>MATTHEW, FRONTLINE PROTESTOR: We are now here to fight for our freedom and most importantly, to fight for our future.</s>COREN: It's this sense of duty that's driving the protest movement, and for months he's been on the front line, clashing with police. (on camera): Are you scared about getting arrested?</s>MATTHEW: Yes, of course. I don't want violence to happen, but the government just don't listen to us. So what are we supposed to do? There is only one single option for us, and that is a revolution.</s>COREN: But a week later, Matthew's fight comes to an abrupt end. Undercover police, dressed as protestors, arrest him. He's charged with possession of offensive weapons, a crime that carries a three- year prison sentence. Out on bail, Matthew agrees to talk to us again. We meet at his friend's cramped apartment. Protest posters cover the walls. The enormity of the situation has sunk in, but he has no regrets about his involvement.</s>MATTHEW: No, not at all. The only regret I have is not being careful enough.</s>COREN: For this soft-spoken career professional, he knows the seriousness of his alleged crime means he may end up with a criminal record. But says that's a sacrifice he's willing to make for what he believes is a greater cause.</s>MATTHEW: I believe Hong Kong will have fundamental change, and my future is becoming insignificant, compared to what will happen in Hong Kong.</s>COREN (on camera): Over the past six months, more than 6,000 protesters have been arrested, of which more than 40 percent of them are students. And while only a small proportion of them have actually been charged, pro-democracy lawmakers and activists fear that Hong Kong will lose a generation of future leaders.</s>TED HUI, LEGISLATIVE AND DISTRICT COUNCILOR, THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY: When people with the heart, with ideals and really values what they believe, these are people with quality. They are the future of Hong Kong, and the Hong Kong government's treating them -- damaging them to put them into rooms.</s>COREN (voice-over): Almost a thousand protesters have been charged with offenses ranging from unlawful assembly to the more serious crimes of rioting, assault and other arson. A third of them are students. Legal experts believe the court system is not equipped to handle the sheer volume of trials, the first scheduled to start early next year. And if the majority of protesters are convicted, there's concern the prison system will be overloaded. The Hong Kong police tell CNN they want to see further prosecutions and say the only thing holding them up is the slow speed of the courts.</s>JOHANNES CHAN, CHAIR PROFESSOR AT LAW, UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG: At the moment, we don't know how many more will be charged and -- or what offenses they will be charged. This is not just the court but even the police and the prosecutions are not ready. But it just shows this is not only the strains on the judiciary, that the prosecution and the police are not even prepared to handle all this mess.</s>COREN: We catch up with Matthew just before his court appearance. He's feeling nervous. But while he and hundreds of front-liners like him may end up behind bars, he's confident the fight for Hong Kong will continue in his absence.</s>MATTHEW: After six months, we have already given so much on the protests. So many people got arrested. So many people got beaten up, and lives have been sacrificed. We just cannot stop right now.</s>COREN: Anna Coren, CNN, Hong Kong.</s>HOLMES: Now, at this time of year, it can look like just about everyone is feasting and celebrating Christmas, but what about families going hungry this festive season? Well, in Britain, some secret Santas are coming to the rescue. We'll have more when we come back. Also, Banksy says plenty about divisions in the Middle East without saying a word. The artist takes on the nativity scene. That's when we come back.