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In brief

4 Hong Kong activists, councillors sent to prison after taking part in Tiananmen commemoration

2 of those convicted had been leaders of pro-self-government party

 
Joshua Wong.
Joshua Wong. Author: Honcques Laus
Four pro-democracy activists and councillors in Hong Kong have been sentenced to prison terms ranging from 4 to 10 months after having taken part in a vigil commemorating the Tiananmen massacre, which had been banned by the authorities.

Those sentenced are activist Joshua Wong (10 months), who is already in prison for taking part in an unauthorised assembly in 2019, and councillors Lester Shum (6 months), Tiffany Yuen (4 months), and Jannelle Leung (4 months).

Wong and Yuen had been leaders of pro-self-government Hong Kong political party Demosisto. The party saw itself forced to disband in 2020.

The vigil had gathered around 20,000 people in Victoria Park, one of the semi-autonomous territory’s central parks. Police identified 26 activists, of whom the four mentioned have been convicted. Two other activists —Nathan Law and Sunny Cheung— are exiled.

The vigil had taken place on 4 June 2020 even if it had been prohibited by the authorities in an effort to cope with the Covid-19 pandemic.

Law said the sentence has been motivated by the authorities’ desire to keep opponents of Hong Kong’s pro-China government in prison.