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Hong Kong Umbrella Movement Leaders Are Sentenced to Prison Hong Kong Umbrella Movement Leaders Are Sentenced to Prison
(32 minutes later)
HONG KONG — A Hong Kong court has sentenced democracy activists to prison terms of up to 16 months for their roles in demonstrations that led to a 79-day occupation of major roads in 2014.HONG KONG — A Hong Kong court has sentenced democracy activists to prison terms of up to 16 months for their roles in demonstrations that led to a 79-day occupation of major roads in 2014.
The protests five years ago demanded more open elections, and sought to force Hong Kong’s leader to step down. Tens of thousands of people joined sit-ins and peaceful street demonstrations, using umbrellas to shield themselves when the police used tear gas and pepper spray to disperse the crowds. The demonstrations came to be known as the Umbrella Movement.The protests five years ago demanded more open elections, and sought to force Hong Kong’s leader to step down. Tens of thousands of people joined sit-ins and peaceful street demonstrations, using umbrellas to shield themselves when the police used tear gas and pepper spray to disperse the crowds. The demonstrations came to be known as the Umbrella Movement.
Two professors, Benny Tai and Chan Kin-man, and a retired pastor, Chu Yiu-ming, who were convicted this month of public nuisance charges, were sentenced to 16 months in prison. The sentence of Mr. Chu, 75, was suspended for two years because of his age. Mr. Tai and Mr. Chan were ordered to begin their sentences immediately. Two professors, Benny Tai and Chan Kin-man, and a retired pastor, Chu Yiu-ming, who along with six others were convicted this month of public nuisance charges, were sentenced to 16 months in prison. The sentence of Mr. Chu, 75, was suspended for two years because of his age and public service record, meaning that he is unlikely to serve time in prison. Mr. Tai and Mr. Chan were ordered to begin their sentences immediately.
They were founders of Occupy Central With Love and Peace, a group championing nonviolent civil disobedience in pursuit of democratic reforms. Their group had called for a short sit-in of two or three days, but that turned into a much longer occupation of city streets after the police used tear gas and pepper spray on student protesters.They were founders of Occupy Central With Love and Peace, a group championing nonviolent civil disobedience in pursuit of democratic reforms. Their group had called for a short sit-in of two or three days, but that turned into a much longer occupation of city streets after the police used tear gas and pepper spray on student protesters.
In a summary of the judgment, Judge Johnny Chan of the District Court said the demonstrations had resulted in “unreasonable” obstruction, and so the leaders had forfeited the legal protections of peaceful demonstration. At the sentencing hearing, Judge Johnny Chan of the District Court said the activists had failed to notice the “ordinary folks” who needed to use the public roads to go to work. He noted that none of the activists had expressed regret for their involvement in the movement.
“The court held that a charge of conspiracy to cause public nuisance would not generate a chilling effect in society and silence many legitimate speeches as the defendants contend,” the summary read. “By regret, I do not mean the defendants should give up their political beliefs or actions,” he said, adding that they owed the public an apology for the “inconvenience” and “excessive suffering” they had caused.
Amnesty International said in an earlier report that the “vague and ambiguous charges” and delays in prosecution were having a chilling effect on the rights to free expression and peaceful assembly. Maya Wang, a senior China researcher for Human Rights Watch, said in an emailed statement on Wednesday that the length of the sentences “sends a chilling warning to all that there will be serious consequences for advocating for democracy.”
Six other defendants were convicted on related public nuisance charges. They are Tanya Chan and Shiu Ka-chun, both current lawmakers; Lee Wing-tat, a former lawmaker; Tommy Cheung and Eason Chung, who were student leaders; and Raphael Wong, a member of the League of Social Democrats, a pro-democracy party. She added that the trial should not have been prosecuted in the first place.
The sentence of Ms. Chan, the current lawmaker, was adjourned until June 10 because she had to undergo a major operation. Hong Kong Watch, a rights group, said in a statement, “The peaceful advocacy of democracy practiced by the Umbrella Movement leaders should be commended, not criminalized or punished with imprisonment.”
The activists said after the verdict that they were honored to serve in the movement and that, despite their convictions, they did not regret their involvement. Some of their lawyers asked for a sentence of community service rather than prison time. Five other defendants were also sentenced on Wednesday on related public nuisance charges. Shiu Ka-chun, a lawmaker, and Raphael Wong, a member of a pro-democracy party, were ordered to begin eight-month prison terms.
“We need to understand that the powerful collude within the political economy, and to find the right spot and hammer on it relentlessly,” Mr. Chung, the 26-year-old former student leader, said in a court statement before the sentencing that was translated from Chinese by Hong Kong Free Press. “There are no saints to follow on this journey.” The eight-month sentences of Eason Chung, a former student leader, and Lee Wing-tat, a retired lawmaker, were suspended. Tommy Cheung, 24, the youngest activist, was sentenced to 200 hours of community service.
Mr. Chung did not ask for a community service order. The sentencing of Tanya Chan, a lawmaker who was also convicted this month, was adjourned until June 10 because she is set to undergo surgery for a brain tumor discovered after the verdict this month.
Mr. Tai and Mr. Chan, who were also convicted of incitement to commit public nuisance, said they would not ask for reduced sentences, instead asking the court not to give a jail sentence to Mr. Chu, who is in poor health. The activists said after their convictions that they were honored to serve in the movement, which they reiterated in statements to the court before their sentencing.
In his own court statement, Mr. Chu, who helped activists escape from China following the deadly 1989 crackdown on demonstrations around Tiananmen Square, described himself as a “bell toller” in the Umbrella Movement. “We need to understand that the powerful collude within the political economy, and to find the right spot and hammer on it relentlessly,” Mr. Chung, the 26-year-old former student leader, said in a statement that was translated from Chinese by Hong Kong Free Press. “There are no saints to follow on this journey.”
Mr. Chu, who helped activists escape from China after the deadly 1989 crackdown on demonstrations around Tiananmen Square, said in his statement that he lived in an “age of absurdity.”
“Living in a society on the brink of authoritarianism and of arbitrary rule, let me be a brave bell toller, ringing, waking up sleepy souls,” he said.
Three student protest leaders, Joshua Wong, Alex Chow and Nathan Law, were given prison sentences of six to eight months in 2017. Hong Kong’s highest court overturned those sentences last year, but also upheld tougher sentencing for future offenses.Three student protest leaders, Joshua Wong, Alex Chow and Nathan Law, were given prison sentences of six to eight months in 2017. Hong Kong’s highest court overturned those sentences last year, but also upheld tougher sentencing for future offenses.