Organisers of Hong Kong’s ‘Umbrella’ protest jailed

FOUR prominent leaders of Hong Kong’s democracy movement were jailed yesterday for their role in organising mass protests in 2014 that paralysed the city and infuriated Beijing.

It is the latest blow to the beleaguered democracy movement which has seen key figures jailed or banned from standing for office since their demonstrations shook the city but failed to win any concessions.

Nine activists were convicted earlier this month using rare colonial-era public nuisance laws for their participation in the Umbrella Movement protests, which called for free elections to appoint Hong Kong’s leader. It renewed alarm about shrinking freedoms under an assertive China which has rejected demands for Hong Kong people to have a greater say in the running of the financial hub.

Key leaders of the protests, Chan Kin-man, 60, a sociology professor, and Benny Tai, 54, a law professor, were jailed for 16 months. Two activists, Raphael Wong and Shiu Ka-chun, received eight months, while the rest had suspended jail terms or community service orders. There were tears in court and angry chants from hundreds of supporters gathered outside at the sentences, the harshest yet for anyone involved in the 79-day protest.

As Raphael Wong was led away, he proclaimed: “Our determination to fight for democracy will not change.”

Tai and Chan founded a civil disobedience campaign known as “Occupy Central” in 2013 alongside Chu Yiuming, 75, a Baptist minister, one of the defendants to have his jail term suspended. Hong Kong and Chinese authorities said the prosecutions were necessary to punish the leaders of a direct action movement that for weeks took over key intersections of the city.