Nine pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong have been jailed, resulting in international uproar and worsening relations between Beijing and the region.
Throughout 2019, Hong Kong witnessed mass pro-democracy protests, which flooded every street and included activists from all walks of life. Because of their participation in these gatherings, nine prominent activists have been detained and convicted for a variety of crimes.
Some of these activists include media mogul Jimmy Lai, lawyers Margaret Ng and Martin Lee, and former lawmaker Lee Cheuk-Yan. Cheuk-Yan is currently serving the longest sentence at 18 months, but Lai and others all have sentences ranging from 6-12 months, convicted of unlawful assembly for their participation in two August 2019 protests.
Lai is also faced with six additional charges, ranging from apparent fraudulent behavior with the handling of his media outlet, Apple Daily, to a national security charge. The potential punishment, if Lai is found guilty on all counts, could be up to life in prison.
On top of their vital role in orchestrating the mass peaceful protests in 2019, many of the sentenced are over 60, and have seen China’s changing political landscape ever since its independence from the British.
More than 1,000 people were arrested on accounts of “unlawful assembly” in August of 2019, but most have been released on bail and await sentencing. But Beijing’s new laws have made most forms of dissent impossible.
After dispelling 4 opposition lawmakers, Beijing gave itself the power to appoint Hong Kong’s representatives and administrators, and jailed 50 activists who were vying for a powerful win for Hong Kong’s pro-democratic party. The government also introduced a new law preventing “unlawful assembly” in the name of national security, a law that Sophia Richardson of the China Division of Human Rights Watch called, “repressive.”
The United States Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, recently made a statement denouncing the arrests saying, “Beijing and Hong Kong authorities are targeting Hong Kongers for doing nothing more than exercising protected rights and fundamental freedoms, including freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of speech. Today’s sentences are yet another example of how (China) and Hong Kong authorities undermine protected rights and fundamental freedoms…to eliminate all forms of dissent.”
In statements before her sentencing, Margaret Ng made a powerful statement saying, “I stand the law’s good servant but the people’s first, for the law must serve the people, not the people the law,” perfectly exemplifying the harsh control China has placed around Hong Kong and its dissidents.
