Among the convicts was Jimmy Lai, 72, who founded the pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper. Lai was sentenced to 12 months in prison for his involvement in a peaceful protest on August 18.
Also heading for jail are former lawmakers “Longhair” Leung Kwok-hung, who was sentenced to 18 months in prison, Lee Cheuk-yan, 12 months, Au Nok-hin, 10 months, and Cyd Ho, 8 months.
At Friday’s sentencing hearing, Judge Amanda Woodcock said the defendants “deliberately defied the law” and that the illicit protests “directly challenged the authority of the police, and thus public order.”
She said the sentence imposed should “reflect the seriousness of the offense and the guilt,” as well as the defendants’ “conscious decision” to violate the law.
Woodcock heard two cases simultaneously and has not yet passed any verdicts regarding a protest on August 31, 2019, meaning Lai and Lee could face even longer jail terms.
Several defendants avoided prison and received suspended sentences for their advanced age and long service in the public service. They included Martin Lee, an 82-year-old veteran lawyer often referred to as “Hong Kong’s Father of Democracy,” and veteran pro-democracy activists Albert Ho, Margaret Ng and Leung Yiu-chung.
Illegal protests
Lai’s attorney, Audrey Eu, said during Friday’s mitigating hearing that Lai should not be jailed for not breaking the peace. “He exercised his constitutional right to peaceful assembly (but not) for personal gain or greed,” she said.
Separately, prosecutors added a second indictment under national security law against Lai at another hearing on Friday. In addition to the unauthorized allegations of assembly, Lai is now facing two charges of collusion with foreign forces, carrying a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Ng, a 73-year-old lawyer, was applauded in court after giving a speech saying she was determined to stand up for Hong Kong’s democratic rights.
“The rule of law must be defended not only in court, but also on the street and in the community,” said Ng. “The rule of law is not just about the law, but also about governance, and laws that protect rights tend to gain trust among the people.”
Attorney Graham Harris, who represented Martin Lee and Albert Ho, also emphasized their decades of public service as legislators.
“Justice does not have to be served by imprisoning two people who have dedicated their lives to serving the community,” he said.
Massive pro-democracy protests
Regarding the August 18 protest, Lai and eight others were found guilty after leading hundreds of thousands of protesters from a rally in Victoria Park on a march to the city’s Central District to call for increased government accountability and an independent investigation of police brutality.
Although police refused permission for a march, organizers claim that up to 1.7 million people took part in the demonstration, bringing parts of the city to a standstill. CNN cannot independently verify this estimate.
In the second case, Lai and two others were found guilty of a separate protest on August 31 of that year.
While defense attorneys challenged that the police should not be empowered to ban protests because it would violate the constitutional protections of freedom of assembly, Justice Woodcock said Hong Kong’s Supreme Court had previously upheld legality.
Ahead of Friday’s hearing, dozens of people were seen queuing outside the courthouse for a seat in the public gallery. The court opened a few more areas as extensions to accommodate the public.