Hong Kong court convicts 4 activists over rioting on anniversary of handover News
VOA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Hong Kong court convicts 4 activists over rioting on anniversary of handover

The District Court of Hong Kong convicted Hong Kong activists Gregory Wong, Ng Chi-yung, Ho Chun-yin and Lam Kan-kwan on Thursday over rioting at Hong Kong’s Legislative Council Complex on July 1, 2019. The riot occurred on the anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover to China and occurred in the broader context of the 2019 Hong Kong protests. The four activists pleaded not guilty to rioting and were remanded in custody. They will be sentenced on March 16.

Protesters occupied the Legislative Council Complex on July 1, 2019. They smashed windows and painted protest slogans on the building, against the warnings of the police and legislative council’s secretariat. 132 CCTV cameras, 748 door locks and 10 escalators were damaged during the protest. According to a police watchdog, police officers did not cease the storming of the building. They arrested individuals months after the accident and did not make any arrests on that day.

Magistrate Li Chi-ho found that Wong entered the building with the knowledge that it was occupied by protesters and interacted with a protester in the building. He found that Ho entered the building with the aim of participating in the protest and assisted the protest. In addition, Li held that Ng participated in the protest as he was inside the building during the protest for a substantial period of time and did not leave until he was carried out. Furthermore, he found that Lam was a frontline protester who smashed the glass door of the building and was involved in transporting protest items.

The 2019 Hong Kong protests erupted over a now-withdrawn extradition bill that proposed to allow fugitives to be transferred from Hong Kong to jurisdictions that lack an extradition deal with Hong Kong, such as mainland China and Macau. The bill was withdrawn by former Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam on September 4, 2019 after a series mass protests.

Previously, on October 18, 2023, Hong Kong protester Tsang Chi-kin was sentenced to three and a half years in prison over rioting and assaulting a police officer. Tsang was arrested while attempting to flee Hong Kong for Taiwan on July 13, 2023 after being shot by a police officer during the National Day protests on October 1, 2019. On September 11, 2023, Hong Kong protester Fung Ching-wah was sentenced to four years prison over rioting and perverting the course of justice. Fung was arrested during the National Day protests on October 1, 2019.

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