HONG KONG: Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai will serve 12 months in prison for taking part in an unauthorised assembly during the 2019 mass pro-democracy protests in the Chinese-ruled financial hub. Organisers say 1.7 million people, almost one-quarter of Hong Kong's population, turned out for a huge rally that formed the backbone of demonstrations that wracked the city throughout 2019.
Lai was among nine of Hong Kong's most prominent democracy campaigners found guilty of organising and participating in the rally. Many of them have spent decades advocating non-violence in their ultimately fruitless campaign for universal suffrage.
Lai, 73, was on Friday sentenced to 12 months in prison while four of the other campaigners were jailed for between eight and 18 months. Among the other defendants was Martin Lee, 82, a respected barrister known as the "father of democracy" in Hong Kong, who was once chosen by Beijing to help write the city's mini-constitution. They also included Margaret Ng, a 73-year-old barrister, and former opposition lawmaker. Lee and Ng were given prison terms, but their sentences were suspended. The rallies in 2019 often descended into clashes between riot police and a knot of hardcore participants and posed the most concerted challenge to China's rule since the former British colony's 1997 handover.
But China and the city government successfully silenced the democracy movement with a sweeping crackdown featuring a national security law that criminalises dissent.
They have also pressed a radical overhaul of the city's electoral system to ensure only "patriots" are members of the legislature.
Amnesty International Asia-Pacific regional director Yamini Mishra said Friday's sentencings highlighted the government's determination to eliminate all opposition.
"Having arrested the majority of Hong Kong's most prominent dissidents using the repressive national security law, the authorities are now mopping up remaining peaceful critics under the pretext of bogus charges related to the 2019 protests," Mishra said. (Agencies)
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