By way of Kathryn ArmstrongBBC News16 March 2024Image supply, Getty ImagesImage caption, Gregory Wong used to be sentenced to simply over six years in prisonHong Kong actor Gregory Wong and 11 other folks had been jailed for his or her function within the storming of town’s legislature right through protests in 2019.Wong used to be jailed for simply over six years – one of the crucial longer sentences passed down by means of the district court docket on Saturday.Activists Ventus Lau and Owen Chow had been additionally amongst the ones given jail phrases related to the pro-democracy protest. In the meantime, two reporters had been fined for illegally getting into the Legislative Council chamber on the time. Lots of the defendants had been discovered to blame of rioting.The incident came about in July 2019 and used to be noticed as a key second within the pro-democracy protests that erupted over a arguable legislation permitting the extradition of folks to mainland China. Masses of protesters entered the development, spray-painting messages at the partitions and wearing provides for the ones occupying the premises.In depth harm used to be finished to the development, with portraits of political leaders torn from the partitions and furnishings smashed.Pass judgement on Li Chi-ho on Saturday stated that, in addition to bodily harm, the storming had led to “long-lasting” social results.”Apart from the real harm to the development, it had a symbolic that means… [which was] difficult the Hong Kong govt or even weakening its governance,” Mr Li stated, in step with the AFP information company. The protests resulted in the advent of a tricky nationwide safety legislation that made unlawful a much broader vary of dissenting acts and lowered town’s autonomy. The legislation lets in for China to have jurisdiction over HK nationwide safety circumstances in some cases.Beijing, which imposed the legislation on Hong Kong, and town’s government argue the legislation is vital to take care of balance and deny it has weakened autonomy.It’s idea that greater than 100 folks had been arrested below the 2020 Beijing-imposed regulation. Hong Kong, a former British colony, used to be passed again to China in 1997 below the primary of “one nation, two programs”. Critics accuse the Chinese language Communist Birthday party of violating the settlement to present town a prime stage of autonomy and to keep its financial and social programs.Symbol supply, Getty ImagesImage caption, Masses of protesters broke into the Legislative Council development in July 2019UPDATE: This text used to be up to date to explain information about Hong Kong’s nationwide safety legislation.
