Hong Kong court sentences 12 to prison for breaching Legislative Council's chamber during 2019 protests

By Emre Oztekin

BEIJING (AA) - A Hong Kong court sentenced on Saturday 12 people who breached the Legislative Council's chamber amid anti-government demonstrations in 2019.

The District Court found the demonstrators, including student leader Althea Suen, actor Gregory Wong and activists Ventus Lau and Owen Chow, guilty of attacking government institutions and damaging public property during the protests.

Judge Li Chi-ho said that the actions directly targeted the regional government and caused long-term harm to the city.

Li sentenced the protesters to prison terms ranging from 4.5 years to 6 years and 10 months and fined two journalists who followed the demonstrators into the chamber in an unauthorized entry.

During the July 1, 2019, protest marking the 22nd anniversary of Hong Kong's transfer from British colonial rule to China, around 100 protesters entered the chamber and occupied the podium, spraying slogans on the walls.

The protests, initially triggered by a proposed extradition bill facilitating the transfer of criminals to mainland China, Macau, and Taiwan, escalated into mass anti-government demonstrations lasting until the end of that year.

*Writing by Alperen Aktas from Istanbul