A Hong Kong court has sentenced 12 people to up to seven years in prison for attacking the Hong Kong parliament in 2019 at the height of the pro-democracy movement against the Chinese-backed government.
It was the most violent incident in the early stages of mass protests that roiled the city that year, and later prompted the Chinese government to impose sweeping national security laws to quash dissent.
On the night of July 1, 2019, hundreds of demonstrators stormed parliament, smashing windows and drawing graffiti to mark the 22nd anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover from Britain to China.
A total of 14 people were later charged with rioting (which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison), criminal damage to property, and breaking into the Legislative Yuan.
Twelve of them were sentenced Saturday to six-and-a-half to seven years in prison after earlier convictions for rioting.
Actual prison sentences will be slightly shorter, ranging from 54 months to 82 months, after reductions for various reasons, including guilty pleas.
Also included in the verdict was actor Gregory Wong, 45, who pleaded not guilty. Political activists Ventus Lau and Owen Chow, who pleaded guilty, were also sentenced to prison terms.
The two former journalists charged along with the 12 others were not found guilty of rioting, but were fined up to HK$1,500 (£150/US$190) for “entering or remaining in the legislative chambers”. Ta.
Deputy District Court Judge Lee Ji-ho on Saturday emphasized the symbolism of the Capitol attack and its “long-term impact” on society.
“Apart from the actual damage to the building, it had a symbolic meaning… [which was] It may even challenge the Hong Kong government and weaken its governance,” Lee said.
The judge added that the protesters committed “insulting and provocative” acts, including tearing up copies of Hong Kong’s constitution and Basic Law and displaying colonial-era flags.
As they were led away after the verdict, the defendants waved vigorously toward the general public seating area of the courtroom, and many of their friends and supporters shed tears.
Days earlier, some of the defendants who had pleaded guilty gave defiant speeches in court.
“The actual crime committed by the protesters…is the pursuit of democracy, freedom of thought and free will,” said Althea Suen, a children’s rights activist and former student leader.
Citing a quote from civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., Chou said, “The word riot is unprecedented.”
“How a political regime deals with dissent and corrects its mistakes will determine whether society can maintain sustainable growth,” he said in an ongoing national security trial on charges of conspiracy to subvert the state. said Chow, who is being prosecuted.
The 2019 protests were sparked by a later-defunct government bill that would have allowed extradition of criminal suspects to mainland China, but also called for more fundamental demands, such as universal suffrage for voting for city leaders and councillors. It snowballed into a city-wide movement.
More than 10,000 people were arrested as authorities tried to quell the protests.
Reuters
