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From: TT
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Photo: Vincent Yu / AP / TT
Joshua Wong (left), poses in front of the court with activists Ivan Lam and Agnes Chow, who are also facing trial. All three have pleaded guilty
Democracy activist Joshua Wong pleads guilty to participating in an unauthorized demonstration, he said ahead of Hong Kong’s court proceedings, which begin Monday.
– We will continue fighting for freedom. Now is not the time to follow Beijing and surrender, he says.
Hong Kong was rocked by seven months of widespread and sometimes violent protests last year in which millions took to the streets. The protesters often clashed with the police, who used tear gas and fired rubber-coated bullets.
Beijing and the local government have opposed the protesters’ demands and instead cracked down on the protesters with restrictive new laws.
Wong, 24, is on trial along with Ivan Lam and Agnes Chow, two other well-known activists, accused of organizing and participating in the demonstration. All three plead guilty, which is a tactic that can lead to lighter punishment.
The demonstration in question took place in 2019 in front of a police station protesting a ban on masking. They risk up to five years in prison.
Joshua Wong was previously one of the leaders of the Demosisto democratic movement, which the founders decided to disband after China’s controversial new security law for Hong Kong was passed in late June-July this year.
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