[ad_1]
HONG KONG: Joshua Wong, 24, one of Hong Kong’s most prominent anti-government activists, was imprisoned on Wednesday (December 2) for a total of 13 and a half months for his role in an illegal demonstration in anti-government protests on last year. , increasing pressure on opposition figures in the Chinese-ruled city.
Wong’s sentencing comes as critics of the Beijing-backed government say it is stepping up crackdown on Hong Kong’s opposition and guaranteed wide-ranging freedoms after the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997, a charge that the Beijing and Hong Kong authorities reject.
Wong had pleaded guilty to organizing and inciting an illegal gathering near the city’s police headquarters during the height of the sometimes violent demonstrations in June last year and faced a maximum of three years in prison.
About 100 supporters quietly gathered inside the court before sentencing, while a small group of pro-Beijing people demonstrated outside, demanding a heavy prison sentence.
“I know the next few days will be harder, we will hold on,” Wong yelled after the sentence was read.
READ: Hong Kong’s Carrie Lam says restoring ‘political system from chaos’ is a priority
Wong’s longtime colleagues Agnes Chow, 23, and Ivan Lam, 26, were jailed for a total of 10 and seven months, respectively, on charges related to the same site.
Chow, who wept inside the courtroom upon hearing the sentence, pleaded guilty to incitement and participation in an illegal protest, while Lam pleaded guilty to incitement.
Under Hong Kong’s handover deal in 1997, Beijing vowed to maintain the city’s lifestyle for 50 years under a “one country, two systems” formula, though some fear 2047 will come soon as authorities tighten. your control.
READ: Timeline: The Impact of National Security Law in Hong Kong
US Senator Marsha Blackburn accused China of cracking down on human rights and destroying “any semblance of autonomy in Hong Kong.”
“Keep the faith Joshua, you are truly an inspiration to freedom fighters everywhere,” Blackburn said in a statement.
READ: Is democracy in Hong Kong dull forever?
READ: China’s Polarizing New Security Law: Sunset for Hong Kong or Return to Stability?
A familiar face in anti-government protests since he was a teenager, Wong was less than a year old when Hong Kong returned to Beijing 23 years ago with a guarantee of freedoms not enjoyed on the mainland, including freedom of expression and assembly. .
Democracy activists say Beijing is rapidly undermining those freedoms, and that the imposition of a national security law on June 30 is seen as the latest blow to the city’s freedoms, which are crucial to its status as a global financial center. .
Authorities in Beijing and Hong Kong deny restriction rights, saying the law is vital to plugging holes in national security defenses exposed by last year’s unrest that posed the biggest popular challenge for Chinese President Xi Jinping.
