RFA
A court in Hong Kong on Wednesday jailed a woman for four-and-a-half years for helping to light a fire on a city street during the 2019 protest movement, which was sparked by plans to allow the extradition of alleged criminal suspects to mainland China.
Siu Lok-ting, 27, was handed the sentence after being found guilty of two counts of arson and one count of rioting, after the judge took into account mitigating factors such as the absence of attacks on police officers.
Siu s parents were visibly devastated by the sentence, with Siu s father crying out This society is without mercy! As she was being taken away, her partner shouted out: Let s get married when you get out!
A growing number of people are being jailed for expressing their views and criticizing the government peacefully, amid an ongoing crackdown on dissent.