HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong's top court upheld the convictions of seven prominent pro-democracy activists for their involvement in a major anti-government protest in 2019. The activists, including the founder of Apple Daily newspaper and former pro-democracy lawmakers, were found guilty of organizing and participating in an unauthorized assembly.
The convictions were seen as a setback for Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement, which has faced a political crackdown on dissidents following the protests. Last year, the activists partially won their appeal at a lower court, but their convictions over participating in the assembly were upheld. The activists continued their legal battle at the city's top court, which unanimously ruled against their appeal on Monday.
The defendants had argued that the trial judge failed to conduct a proper assessment when convicting them, but the court ruled that their proposition was unsustainable and contrary to established principles governing constitutional challenges in Hong Kong.
The convictions were related to a rally in August 2019 that drew an estimated 1.7 million people calling for greater police accountability and democracy. The march was relatively peaceful compared to other protests that year.
Hong Kong, a former British colony returned to China in 1997, guarantees its people freedom of assembly under the Basic Law. However, the right to freedom of assembly is subject to restrictions ruled constitutional.
The activists were sentenced in 2021, with some receiving jail terms and others suspended sentences. The appellate court partially overturned their convictions in 2023, quashing part of the sentences for those who were jailed. Some activists remained in custody due to prosecutions under a Beijing-imposed national security law.
The security law, introduced to bring stability to the city following the protests, has been criticized for stifling public dissent. The 2019 movement was the most significant challenge to the Hong Kong government since the 1997 handover, but it waned due to arrests, exiles of activists, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the security law.
