A Hong Kong court sentenced seven pro-freedom and democracy activists to prison on Saturday for having been involved in organising the protests in the city region in July last year.
The protests were in response to the imposition by the government of the People’s Republic of China of a national security law. The law was in turn meant as a response to protests the previous year against the constriction of political and civic freedom in Hong Kong.
The national security law gives the authorities extensive latitude to clamp down on dissent, creating a means to act against political opponents of the government through charges such as ‘terrorism’ and ‘secession’.
Those sentenced were: Figo Chan, leader of the now-defunct Civil Human Rights Front; Tsang Kin-shing and Tang Sai-lai of the League of Social Democrats; Andy Chui, a former district councillor; as well as Wu Chi-wai, Eddie Chu and Leung Kwok-hung, who had been members of the Hong Kong legislature.
The sentences ranged from six to twelve months.
The presiding judge, Douglas Yau, said that the risk of violence created by the protest was a serious matter.
But Chan said that civil disobedience was ‘a peaceful, rational and non-violent way to express our demand against the national security law’.
Al Jazeera reported that more than 150 people have been arrested under the law and thus far around 100 formally charged.