Jimmy Lai, Hong Kong activists convicted for Tiananmen vigil

dpa Hong Kong The founder of disbanded pro-democracy Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily, Jimmy Lai, has been found guilty by a court in Hong Kong of unlawful ...

dpaHong KongThe founder of disbanded pro-democracy Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily, Jimmy Lai, has been found guilty by a court in Hong Kong of unlawful assembly for taking part in a banned Tiananmen vigil last year.Lai, along with lawyer and co-organiser Chow Hang Tung and activist Gwyneth Ho, was all convicted on charges of unlawful assembly at the Hong Kong District Court on Thursday.Authorities charged 24 former politicians and activists for the June 4, 2020, candlelight vigil in commemoration of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. All 24 have been convicted.According the South China Morning Post, 10 of the convicted were handed prison sentences of up to 10 months, while three were given suspended sentences. The remaining sentences are due to be announced on Monday.Lai, 73, is currently serving a prison sentence on separate charges for his role in unauthorized assemblies during the 2019 anti-government protests. Condemnation by human rights groups came quickly.“These convictions merely underline the pattern of the Hong Kong authorities’ extreme efforts to exploit the law to press multiple trumped-up charges against prominent activists,” said Amnesty International deputy secretary general Kyle Ward.