Hong Kong court hands down harsh sentences to dozens in democracy case
Hong Kongʼs high court gave jail-time to 45 pro-democracy figures for organizing an unofficial election event about four years ago. International community shows strong reaction to courtʼs decision
In a high-profile court proceeding Hong Kongʼs judicial system handed down serious punishments to democracy-minded individuals. The high court gave sentences ranging from 4 to 10 years to forty-five people who took part in an un-official voting event
Benny Tai got the most severe punishment — a 10-year jail term (which is the longest penalty given under the security rules from 2020). The group faced charges about their role in organizing a non-sanctioned pre-election poll: this event happened roughly four years ago
The court saw many familiar faces including Joshua Wong who got 4 years and 8 months behind bars‚ while Owen Chow received 7 years and 9 months. Gwyneth Ho who got 7 years shared her thoughts before the verdict:
Our true crime for Beijing is that we were not content with playing along in manipulated elections
People showed up in big numbers outside the court-house despite the rain (with police keeping watch using dogs and armored vehicles). The judges explained their decision saying they looked at things like planning level and possible harm to society: they didnt consider if the scheme would actually work
- US representatives called the trial politically-driven
- Australian foreign minister expressed grave worry
- Taiwanʼs office stood with Hong Kong people
- Local authorities say these laws keep order
The Chinese and Hong Kong governments point to the mass street actions of 2019 as proof that these strict rules were needed. They say everyone got fair treatment under local laws‚ but many foreign governments dont agree with this view
