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| Hong Kong 'Umbrella' protesters found guilty | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Nine pro-democracy activists have been found guilty of public nuisance charges for their involvement in mass rallies which called for greater autonomy from China. | Nine pro-democracy activists have been found guilty of public nuisance charges for their involvement in mass rallies which called for greater autonomy from China. |
| Among them are three prominent activists who are seen as the faces of Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement. | Among them are three prominent activists who are seen as the faces of Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement. |
| They could be jailed for up to seven years for their part in the "Umbrella" protests in 2014. | They could be jailed for up to seven years for their part in the "Umbrella" protests in 2014. |
| Thousands marched demanding the right for Hong Kong to choose its own leader. | Thousands marched demanding the right for Hong Kong to choose its own leader. |
| Those convicted include the "Occupy trio", consisting of sociology professor Chan Kin-man, 59, law professor Benny Tai, 54, and Baptist minister Chu Yiu-ming, 74. | |
| "No matter what happens today... we will persist on and do not give up," Mr Tai had told reporters ahead of the verdict. | |
| Mr Tai and Mr Chan were both found guilty of conspiracy to cause public nuisance and inciting others to commit public nuisance, according to local media outlets. | |
| Mr Chu was found guilty of conspiracy to cause public nuisance. | |
| A large crowd gathered outside the court on Thursday in support of the nine activists. | |
| Human rights groups criticised the ruling, with Humans Rights Watch saying the court was "sending a terrible message". | |
| "[This] will likely embolden the government to prosecute more peaceful activists, further chilling free expression in Hong Kong," said researcher Maya Wang in a statement to the BBC. | |
| What were the protests about? | |
| The protests started in reaction to a decision made by China that it would allow direct elections in 2017, but only from a list of candidates pre-approved by Beijing. | |
| Beijing is highly sensitive about Hong Kong's status and any calls for more autonomy from China. | |
| The former British colony was handed back in 1997 on condition it would retain "a high degree of autonomy, except in foreign and defence affairs" for 50 years. | |
| Many people in Hong Kong believe they should have the right to elect their own leader. | |
| In 2014, the three activists' calls for non-violent civil disobedience joined with student-led protests and snowballed into the massive demonstrations. | |
| Tens of thousands of people camped in the streets and demanded the right to fully free leadership elections. | |
| The protests became known as the "Umbrella Movement" after people used umbrellas to shield themselves from tear gas fired by police to disperse the crowd. | |
| Protesters accused the Chinese government of breaking its promise to allow full democracy in Hong Kong, and of encroaching more and more on the region. | |
| But the number of protesters dwindled to just a few hundred as the weeks dragged on and they ultimately failed to achieve their goal. |