Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Activist Sentences

Image courtesy: University of Oxford

On November 19, 2024, 45 Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters received their long-awaited sentences for 3 years. All sentences were no less than four years (Washington Post). 

The arrests occurred in 2021, when a total of 55 people were initially taken in. Of the total arrests, 47 activists have been charged with conspiracy to commit subversion under Beijing laws for arranging an unofficial primary election. According to Al Jazeera, the pro-democracy camp aimed for greater political power and pushed for the presence of democracy in the Hong Kong legislature. The arrests were part of the Chinese government’s scheme to control the 2019-2020 Hong Kong protests (New York Times). Since then, most arrestees have been detained without bail. 

Benny Tai, a prominent figure of the movement, received the longest sentence of 10 years while Joshua Wong, a former student leader and well-acknowledged activist, received a sentence of over 4 years (BBC).