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Prominent Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong and two of his fellow activists must be temporarily detained. A court ordered on Monday, according to a Wong spokesman, that the activists will not be allowed to walk until the end of the ongoing trial next Wednesday (December 2).
At the beginning of the trial, Wong pleaded guilty to organizing an unauthorized protest. For this, he and his colleagues could face up to five years in prison. Shortly before the trial began, Wong had announced that he would face an immediate jail sentence. His colleague Ivan Lam also wanted to plead guilty. Also accused activist Agnes Chow had done it before.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if they arrested me immediately today,” Wong said Monday. “We will continue to fight for freedom and now is not the time to duck and surrender to Beijing.” He will plead guilty to having organized an unauthorized meeting in front of the Wan Chai Police Department on June 21 last year. . According to Wong, it was a misdemeanor. He and his colleagues are prepared to face an immediate prison sentence. He hoped this would bring world attention to the Hong Kong judicial system, which Beijing was manipulating.
In 2019 there were massive protests in Hong Kong for months against the growing influence of China. The protesters also regularly went to the police headquarters to request an independent investigation into police violence against government opponents. More than 10,000 people were arrested during the protests. Since then, the Hong Kong authorities have stepped up their crackdown on the democracy movement.
Since June, they can also resort to the so-called security law passed by Beijing. It allows the Hong Kong authorities to crack down on any activity they believe threatens China’s national security.
