Hong Kong: 12 Sentenced Over 2019 Pro-Democracy Protests

Facts

• A Hong Kong court on Saturday sentenced 12 people, including actor Gregory Wong, for storming the city's legislative council building during the 2019 pro-democracy protests.¹
• Wong, who had pleaded not guilty, has been jailed for six years and two months, while political activist Owen Chow, who had pleaded guilty, received a prison term of 61 months and 15 days.²
• Judge Li Chi-ho handed down jail terms ranging from more than four years to nearly seven years, ruling that the nature of the event was 'serious' as the legislature holds a unique constitutional status.³
• Hundreds of protesters broke into the Hong Kong legislature on July 1, 2019 — the 22nd anniversary of the former British colony's return to the PRC — smashing windows. They allegedly defaced the building and tore up copies of the constitutional text.⁴
• The protests were largely against an extradition bill that the demonstrators alleged would have allowed authorities to send residents to mainland China for trial. Most of the 12 defendants were found guilty of rioting.⁵
• In 2020, China imposed a controversial national security law, allegedly making it easier to crack down on dissent. Over 100 protesters have since been reportedly detained under the legislation.⁶

Sources: ¹CNN, ²Independent, ³NPR Online News, ⁴DW, ⁵Al Jazeera and ⁶BBC News.

Narratives

• Pro-China narrative, as provided by Reuters. The 2019 incident was a severe affront to the city's rule of law, posing a direct challenge to the Hong Kong government and its Legislative Council. Those who forced their way into the building, causing extensive damage, were not mere protesters but traitors who must face the repercussions of their unlawful actions.
• Anti-China narrative, as provided by The Globe and Mail. The government is equally responsible for the 2019 event as it refused to withdraw the controversial extradition bill despite one million Hongkongers marching against it. The legislature, as well as the criminal justice system, continue to treat the pro-democracy protesters extraordinarily harshly. Until the city is given a high degree of autonomy, residents will continue to stand up to preserve their economic and social systems.

Predictions