Hong Kong student activist Joshua Wong sentenced to jail for second time

Student activist Joshua Wong has been sentenced by a Hong Kong court to a second jail term of three months for participating in the pro-democracy Umbrella Movement in 2014.

The 21-year-old tweeted on Wednesday that “today the high court has sentenced me to 3 months of jail”, for what a judge described as his “leading role” in the so-called Umbrella Movement street demonstrations in 2014 that shut down traffic in the city’s financial district.

Hong Kong's High Court refused to suspend the execution of my prison sentence. I will return to jail for 3 months. See you soon.

— Joshua Wong 黃之鋒 😷 (@joshuawongcf) January 17, 2018

Wong and 19 other demonstrators were found guilty of criminal contempt of court because they refused to obey a court injunction order to leave a protest zone in late November of that year.

The protest was part of the biggest populist uprising for decades in Hong Kong and posed a spirited challenge to Beijing’s Communist Party leaders in demanding full democracy.

Protesters participate in the Umbrella Movement in Mong Kok, Hong Kong, on Oct 8, 2014. Source: Scott Wong/Shutterstock

For more than two months, tens of thousands of mostly student and young demonstrators camped out in tents on major highways, defying government, police and Chinese demands to leave. Umbrellas became a symbol of defiance after protesters used them as shields against police pepper spray and batons.

High Court Judge Andrew Chan said that even though Wong only stayed in the protest area for 90 minutes on the day in question, “his involvement in obstructing the clearance operation was deep and extensive. He played a leading role on that day.”

Chan said:

“In view of his overall involvement, I am of the view that the only appropriate punishment … will be one of immediate imprisonment.”

Another activist, Raphael Wong, was also jailed, while the remaining protesters, including former student leader Lester Shum, received suspended sentences.

“Thank you, Your Honour, for your ruling. Our determination to fight for genuine universal suffrage will not waver,” stated Raphael Wong in the courtroom before being taken away. Lawyers for both the Wongs said they would appeal, but they were denied an immediate request for bail.

Hong Kong, a former British colony, returned to Chinese rule in 1997 amid promises that the Asian financial hub would enjoy a high degree of autonomy under a so-called “one country, two systems” arrangement.

A perceived tightening of control by Beijing’s Communist Party leaders in recent years, however, has fuelled a groundswell of pro-democracy activism aimed at defending the city’s constitutionally enshrined freedoms.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam takes shakes hands with China’s President Xi Jinping after she swore an oath of office on the 20th anniversary of the city’s handover from British to Chinese rule, in Hong Kong, July 1, 2017. Source: Reuters/Bobby Yip

While a spirited young generation has given Hong Kong’s flagging push for democracy fresh impetus, some 100 key activists have, or could be, jailed in upcoming trials, in what critics say is an attempt to counter the movement’s momentum.

Upon learning about the sentence from his lawyers shortly before the court hearing started, Joshua Wong looked up from behind the dock, squeezed his eyes shut and sighed. Wong chose not to fight the charge in the spirit of civil disobedience.

“I will vote for you in jail!” Joshua Wong shouted at fellow activist Agnes Chow Ting as he was taken away, reported South China Morning Post. He later tweeted that: “We will vote in prison in the March by-election. We will accept it with calmness. We hope the pro-democracy camp will unite.”

Wong had begun serving a six-months imprisonment sentence last August for a separate unlawful assembly charge, but he was granted bail by Hong Kong’s highest court, which heard the appeal against the sentence on Tuesday. It would decide upon the case on a later date.

This article originally appeared on our sister website Asian Correspondent

Liked this? Then you’ll love…

Students in Singapore, Japan and Hong Kong are the world’s best problem solvers

Hong Kong student leader Joshua Wong is writing a blog from jail