Twelve people were sentenced to four to nearly seven years in prison for participating in the attack on the Legislative Council during the anti-extradition bill : china

Hong Kong’s judicial authorities continue to settle scores against those who participated in the anti-extradition law and pro-democracy protests in 2019. A Hong Kong court on Saturday convicted 12 defendants who participated in the attack on the Legislative Council building on July 1 of that year for rioting and sentenced them to prison terms ranging from four and a half to nearly seven years.

Comprehensive international media reported on the 16th that on the same day, Reporters Without Borders, a transnational non-governmental organization that protects press freedom, also issued a communiqué to express concern that the Hong Kong government’s recent accelerated legislation on Article 23 of the Hong Kong Basic Law further threatens press freedom.

In 2019, large-scale civil protests broke out in Hong Kong to oppose the amendment to the extradition bill forcibly promoted by the Hong Kong government. Hundreds of protesters stormed the Legislative Yuan building during a protest march on July 1, the anniversary of the official handover of Hong Kong sovereignty to Beijing. The five major demands raised by the protesters during this operation have become the core slogans of Hong Kong's subsequent pro-democracy protests.

The case was decided at the West Kowloon Court in Hong Kong on Saturday. The 45-year-old Hong Kong artist Wang Zongyao pleaded not guilty and was sentenced to 6 years and 2 months in prison. Hong Kong local democrats Liu Yongkuang and Chow Jiacheng, who had pleaded guilty, were sentenced to 54 months and 20 days and 61 months and 15 days respectively.

In 2020, Beijing forcibly introduced the Hong Kong version of the national security law to pursue criminal liability for participants in the anti-extradition protest movement, which has continued to shrink the basic freedom space enjoyed by Hong Kong under the original one country, two systems framework. According to police data, more than 10,200 people have been arrested so far in connection with the anti-extradition movement in 2019, of which 2,937 have been charged with crimes such as rioting, illegal assembly, and criminal damage. According to "The Witness", a Hong Kong media specializing in legal news, more than 870 people were charged with rioting.

Recently, the Hong Kong government has vigorously promoted the legislation of Article 23 of the Basic Law involving national security issues, further strengthening the prosecution of civil opposition forces. On the 16th, the international non-governmental organization Reporters Without Borders issued a communiqué, expressing concern that the Hong Kong government’s 23-article draft legislation to expand and increase penalties would be used to deal with journalists and press freedom defenders, and urged democratic countries to put pressure on the Chinese authorities to restore Hong Kong. complete freedom of the press.