The convictions yesterday followed a trial that has renewed alarm over shrinking freedoms under an assertive China which has rejected demands by Hong Kongers asking for a greater say in how the financial hub is run.
Among the most prominent members of the group on trial were sociology professor Chan Kin-man, 60, law professor Benny Tai, 54, and Baptist minister Chu Yiu-ming, 75. All now face the prospect of jail. Of the remaining six defendants – a group of younger protest leaders, including two sitting lawmakers – all were convicted of at least one public nuisance charge.
In his verdict, Judge Johnny Chan ruled that the 2014 protests, which took over key intersections for many weeks, were not protected by Hong Kong’s free speech laws because the demonstrations impinged on the rights of others. Before their conviction the nine defendants struck a note of defiance as they greeted a large crowd of cheering supporters outside the courthouse in Hong Kong’s Kowloon district on Tuesday morning.
The city enjoys rights unseen on the Chinese mainland, which are protected by the 50-year handover agreement between Britain and China, but fears are growing that those liberties are being eroded as Beijing flexes its muscles.
these traitors were paid and sold out to the west to cause chaos and unrest in hong kong. China were too soft on these guys