Four prominent leaders of Hong Kong’s democracy movement were jailed yesterday for their role in organizing mass protests in 2014 that paralyzed the territory for months and infuriated Beijing.
The prison terms are the latest hammer blow to the territory’s beleaguered democracy movement, which has seen key figures jailed or banned from standing as legislators since their demonstrations shook the territory, but failed to win any concessions.
Earlier this month, nine democracy advocates were convicted of at least one charge in a prosecution that deployed rarely used colonial-era public nuisance laws over their participation in the “Umbrella movement” protests, which called for free elections to appoint the territory’s leader.
Photo: Bloomberg
Two key leaders of the mass protests — sociology professor Chan Kin-man (陳健民), 60, and law professor Benny Tai (戴耀廷), 54 — received the longest sentences of 16 months in jail, sparking tears in court and angry chants from hundreds of supporters gathered outside.
Two others — activist Raphael Wong (黃浩銘) and lawmaker Shiu Ka-chun (邵家臻) — received eight months, while the rest had their jail terms suspended or were given a community service order. One defendant, lawmaker Tanya Chan (陳淑莊), had her sentencing adjourned because she needs surgery for a brain tumor.
The jail terms are the steepest yet for anyone involved in the 79-day protest.
As Wong was led away by guards, he said: “Our determination to fight for democracy will not change.”
Tai and Chan founded a civil disobedience campaign known as “Occupy Central” in 2013 alongside 75-year-old Baptist minister Chu Yiu-ming (朱耀明), one of the defendants to have his jail term suspended.
“The long sentences send a chilling warning to all that there will be serious consequences for advocating for democracy,” Human Rights Watch senior China researcher Maya Wang (王松蓮) said.
Amnesty International said that the four jailed men were “prisoners of conscience” and that the record-breaking sentences set a “dangerous precedent.”
Carefully worded criticism came in from Western diplomats in the territory.
Washington’s consulate said that it was “concerned by the Hong Kong Government’s decision to bring these charges,” while Britain’s added that it would be “deeply concerning” if the jailings “were to deter the people of Hong Kong from participating in peaceful protest in the future.”
There were emotional scenes outside the courthouse as the four leaders were driven away in a prison van as supporters shouted: “Add Oil!” — a popular Cantonese phrase to signal encouragement.
Many supporters were holding umbrellas, an emblem of the 2014 protests after they were used by young demonstrators to defend themselves against police batons, tear gas canisters and pepper spray.
Speaking after the sentencing, Tanya Chan told the crowd: “I hope Hong Kongers will not lose hope, will not be afraid, will not have regrets or back down now.”
CROSS-STRAIT COLLABORATION: The new KMT chairwoman expressed interest in meeting the Chinese president from the start, but she’ll have to pay to get in Beijing allegedly agreed to let Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) around the Lunar New Year holiday next year on three conditions, including that the KMT block Taiwan’s arms purchases, a source said yesterday. Cheng has expressed interest in meeting Xi since she won the KMT’s chairmanship election in October. A source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said a consensus on a meeting was allegedly reached after two KMT vice chairmen visited China’s Taiwan Affairs Office Director Song Tao (宋濤) in China last month. Beijing allegedly gave the KMT three conditions it had to
STAYING ALERT: China this week deployed its largest maritime show of force to date in the region, prompting concern in Taipei and Tokyo, which Beijing has brushed off Deterring conflict over Taiwan is a priority, the White House said in its National Security Strategy published yesterday, which also called on Japan and South Korea to increase their defense spending to help protect the first island chain. Taiwan is strategically positioned between Northeast and Southeast Asia, and provides direct access to the second island chain, with one-third of global shipping passing through the South China Sea, the report said. Given the implications for the US economy, along with Taiwan’s dominance in semiconductors, “deterring a conflict over Taiwan, ideally by preserving military overmatch, is a priority,” it said. However, the strategy also reiterated
‘BALANCE OF POWER’: Hegseth said that the US did not want to ‘strangle’ China, but to ensure that none of Washington’s allies would be vulnerable to military aggression Washington has no intention of changing the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said on Saturday, adding that one of the US military’s main priorities is to deter China “through strength, not through confrontation.” Speaking at the annual Reagan National Defense Forum in Simi Valley, California, Hegseth outlined the US Department of Defense’s priorities under US President Donald Trump. “First, defending the US homeland and our hemisphere. Second, deterring China through strength, not confrontation. Third, increased burden sharing for us, allies and partners. And fourth, supercharging the US defense industrial base,” he said. US-China relations under
The Chien Feng IV (勁蜂, Mighty Hornet) loitering munition is on track to enter flight tests next month in connection with potential adoption by Taiwanese and US armed forces, a government source said yesterday. The kamikaze drone, which boasts a range of 1,000km, debuted at the Taipei Aerospace and Defense Technology Exhibition in September, the official said on condition of anonymity. The Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology and US-based Kratos Defense jointly developed the platform by leveraging the engine and airframe of the latter’s MQM-178 Firejet target drone, they said. The uncrewed aerial vehicle is designed to utilize an artificial intelligence computer
RSS