7 Hong Kong Democracy Activists Convicted for Participation in Illegal Assembly

Jimmy Lai, owner of Hong Kong's Apple Daily
Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] Seven figures representing the pro-democracy camp, including the owner of a Hong Kong anti-China media outlet, were found guilty of organizing and participating in illegal assemblies in 2019.

According to BBC and The Guardian, on the 1st, the West Kowloon Court in Hong Kong delivered guilty verdicts against Jimmy Lai, owner of Apple Daily, and six pro-democracy politicians.

They are accused of organizing and participating in a rally on August 18, 2019, opposing the extradition bill, which drew 1.7 million people to Victoria Park.

Included were key opposition figures such as Martin Lee, founder of Hong Kong's largest opposition party, the Democratic Party, known as the "Godfather of the Democracy Faction," former Democratic Party chairman Albert Ho (70), former Civic Party legislator Margaret Ng, and Leung Kwok-hung, chairman of the League of Social Democrats.

Jimmy Lai is currently imprisoned, charged with fraud and violations of the Hong Kong National Security Law (Hong Kong Security Law).

Lee Cheuk-yan, chairman of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, which has held annual Tiananmen protest commemorations in Hong Kong, was also found guilty.

Before entering the courtroom that day, he said, "Political retaliation has been inflicted during a very difficult time for Hong Kong's situation. However, whatever lies ahead of us, we will continue to move forward."

The charge of participating in an illegal assembly carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Sentencing will be delivered at a later date.

Western countries strongly condemned the Hong Kong government for prosecuting them, BBC reported. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, "It not only severely infringes on the rights and freedoms of the people of Hong Kong but also suppresses judicial independence and the freedoms of academia and the press."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.