Hong Kong activists convicted of unauthorised assembly over annual Tiananmen Square vigil after guilty pleas thestar.com.my - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thestar.com.my Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
16 April 2021, 11:01 UTC
Responding to the sentencing of 10 Hong Kong pro-democracy activists to between eight and 18 months in prison for taking part in two “unauthorized” protests in August 2019, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific Regional Director Yamini Mishra said:
“The wrongful prosecution, conviction and sentencing of these 10 activists underlines the Hong Kong government’s intention to eliminate all political opposition in the city.
“Having arrested the majority of Hong Kong’s most prominent dissidents using the repressive national security law, the authorities are now mopping up remaining peaceful critics under the pretext of bogus charges related to the 2019 protests.
“These convictions are a violation of international law, which states that participating in and organizing peaceful assemblies does not require prior permission by the state. Nor does failure to notify the authorities about an assembly make it unlawful to take part in it. The prosecution�
April 16, 2021
Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai leaves Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre for an earlier court appearance.
South China Morning Post
Hong Kong publishing tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying has been jailed for one year for his role in an unauthorised assembly that took place during 2019 s anti-government protests, while four former opposition lawmakers who took part in the same demonstration were also sent to prison.
Democratic Party founding chairman Martin Lee Chu-ming was given a suspended 11-month sentence in relation to the same march.
Lai, currently remanded in jail after being charged under the national security law, was escorted to West Kowloon Court on Friday (April 16) to hear the sentence for his first-ever criminal conviction.
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Hong Kong protests: Jimmy Lai, four ex-lawmakers jailed over 2019 march from Victoria Park Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai leaves Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre for an earlier court appearance. Photo: Winson Wong
Hong Kong publishing tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying has been jailed for 14 months for his role in two unauthorised assemblies that took place during 2019 s anti-government protests, while four former opposition lawmakers who joined one or both of the demonstrations were also sent to prison.
Democratic Party founding chairman Martin Lee Chu-ming was given a suspended 11-month sentence in relation to the march on August 18, 2019.
Lai received a one-year jail sentence for the August 18 procession and eight months prison for another unauthorised march on August 31, with the two terms to run partly concurrently.