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.
Opinion: The Slow Death of Hong Kong
Commentary
On April 1, better known as April Fools’ Day, a Hong Kong court issued an unjust but unsurprising verdict. Seven Hong Kong democratic leaders were convicted of organizing unauthorized assemblies. These refer to the mass pro-democracy marches that took place during the summer of 2019. The official sentences of the seven charged activists will be announced on April 16.
Shanghai was once one of the most glorious cities in the world. It birthed numerous legendary international writers and filmmakers. During this golden age in the 1930s, it was called “The Paris of the East, the New York of the West.” But after the CCP established its power, Shanghai’s freedom died, along with its beautiful golden age in art and trade. Sadly, Hong Kong is destined for the same death.
HK tycoon Lai guilty of unauthorized assembly ecns.cn - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from ecns.cn Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Sentencing will be decided at a later date. The maximum penalty for each offence is five years.
Before the ruling, a small group of supporters displayed banners outside the West Kowloon court building, including one that read “oppose political persecution”. Some chanted “five demands, not one less”, a rallying cry from the protest movement which includes demands for universal suffrage – a now impossible prospect following recent changes to the electoral system by Beijing – and amnesty for the thousands of protesters arrested.
Shortly before entering court Lee Cheuk-yan, 64, told media there was a “difficult situation in Hong Kong”, and labeled their prosecution as political retaliation. just before entering court.