Pro-democracy trio jailed in Hong Kong

JOSHUA WONG, the pro-democracy campaigner, and two other young leaders of Hong Kong’s huge Umbrella Movement rallies were jailed yesterday for their role in the 2014 protests, dealing a fresh blow to their hopes for political reform.

The sentences handed down by the court of appeal came as fears grow that Beijing is tightening its grip on the semi-autonomous city and that rule of law is being compromised.

Mr Wong, who became the face of the mass protests while still a teenager, as well as Nathan Law and Alex Chow were given six months, eight months and seven months’ jail respectively after the court upped their previous noncustodial sentences.

“The court has a responsibility to send out a clear message to society, that in activities such as rallies, marches and protests, when rights are freely exercised, participants must abide by the law,” the judgment said. Anyone who receives a jail term of more than three months is barred from running for Hong Kong’s partially directly elected parliament for five years.

Mr Wong turns 21 in October, which would have made him eligible to run for lawmaker, something he had said he wanted to do. As he was led away by security, Mr Wong shouted: “Hong Kong people, don’t give up!”

Beijing has become increasingly incensed at the emergence of Hong Kong independence campaigners, a response to the failure of the Umbrella Movement to win reform.

The Umbrella trio were found guilty last year on unlawful assembly charges for storming a fenced-off government forecourt known as “Civic Square” as part of a protest calling for fully free leadership elections in September 2014, sparking follow-up demos.

Amnesty International called the jail terms a “vindictive attack on freedom of expression and peaceful assembly”.