The fight will go on, says jailed Hong Kong activist
Joshua Wong, Hong Kong’s most high-profile democracy activist, vowed to continue the fight for freedom under Beijing’s rule after being jailed along with two others on Wednesday.
‘‘It’s not the end of the fight,’’ said Wong, after being sentenced for his role in an hours-long siege of the city’s main police headquarters during the antigovernment protests that roiled the former British colony last year.
Wong, Agnes Chow and Ivan Lam, all leading members of Demosisto, the now disbanded political party, were sentenced to 13 and a half months, 10 months and seven months respectively over the rally outside the Wan Chai police station on June 21 last year.
Human rights groups have condemned the punishment as unjustified and part of a growing government campaign to intimidate and silence critics and prodemocracy voices.
Dominic Raab, the UK Foreign Secretary, urged ‘‘the Hong Kong and Beijing authorities to bring an end to their campaign to stifle opposition.’’ He added: ‘‘Prosecution decisions must be fair and impartial, and the rights and freedoms of people in Hong Kong must be upheld.’’
Several mass rallies were held last summer by protesters demanding the government scrap a draft extradition bill that could have seen suspects sent to trial in China, and to call for universal suffrage.
The June 21 protest was held just two weeks after riot officers used tear gas and rubber bullets on crowds outside the city’s parliament.
The demonstration saw thousands assemble peacefully, although some protesters vandalised walls and smashed surveillance cameras.
Ahead of sentencing, Wong, 24, pleaded guilty to organising the assembly and inciting others to join. Chow, 23, admitted inciting people to join as well as taking part herself, and Lam, 26, pleaded guilty to incitement.
Their lawyers had called for lenient sentences, urging the court to take into account their youth, that Chow had a clean record, and that they had not taken part in any violence.
However, magistrate Wong Sze-lai ruled that as the defendants had called on people to besiege the headquarters and chanted slogans that undermined the police force, ‘‘immediate imprisonment is the only appropriate option’’.
Chow wept as the sentence was announced. Wong, who had been released from an earlier term in prison for his activism just days before the siege, left the courtroom shouting: ‘‘The coming days will be tough but we’ll hang in there!’’
He later added, via his lawyers: ‘‘It’s not the end of the fight. Ahead of us is another challenging battleground. We’re now joining the battle in prison along with many brave protesters, less visible yet essential in the fight for democracy and freedom for Hong Kong.’’ – Telegraph Group