Hong Kong appeals court upholds prison sentences for 12 pro-democracy activists
Hong Kong appeals court upholds prison sentences for 12 pro-democracy activists
Hong Kong appeals court upholds prison sentences for 12 pro-democracy activists
cross-posted from: https://mander.xyz/post/47899546
...
The three-judge panel dismissed appeals from the 12, including ex-lawmaker "Long Hair" Leung Kwok-hung, former journalist Gwyneth Ho and Gordon Ng, an Australian citizen. The campaigners smiled and waved from the dock to their supporters in the public gallery, which included defendants in the same case who had finished serving time.
Pro-democracy activist Chan Po-ying, wife of defendant Leung, said the outcome was "absurd" and that judges "presumed that the defendants wanted to subvert state power." Amnesty International Hong Kong Overseas spokesperson Fernando Cheung said the court had "missed a critical opportunity to correct this mass injustice."
...
Aged between 28 and 69, the group included democratically elected lawmakers and district councillors, as well as unionists, academics and others ranging from modest reformists to radical localists. In 2024, the court convicted 45 people and acquitted two.
...
The 45 convicted campaigners were given sentences ranging from four years and two months to 10 years, depending on their role and whether they received reduced penalties. After Monday's defeat, the appellants can take their case to Hong Kong's top court, though they have yet to confirm if they will.
...