Seven Hong Kong Activists Sentenced for Taking Part in 2019 Anti-Government Protest
Voice of America
Seven Hong Kong pro-democracy activists were sentenced Wednesday to lengthy jail sentences for taking part in an unauthorized protest in 2019.
The activists include such figures as former legislators Cyd Ho, Yeung Sum, Albert Ho and Leung Kwok-hung, known as “Long Hair,” and Raphael Wong, Figo Chan and Avery Ng of the League of Social Democrats party. All seven men were present when District Court Judge Amanda Woodcock sentenced them for taking part in a massive demonstration in October 2019 at the height of anti-government protests triggered by a controversial extradition bill that evolved into a greater demand for greater freedoms for the financial hub. Judge Woodcock said that while Hong Kong’s mini-constitution, known as the Basic Law, guarantees freedom of assembly and demonstration, “these rights are not absolute and are subject to restrictions ruled constitutional.”French President Emmanuel Macron appears on television screen at the French far-right National Rally party election night headquarters, in Paris, June 9, 2024. Macron dissolved the National Assembly and called for a new legislative election. French far-right National Rally lead candidate Jordan Bardella delivers a speech at the party election night headquarters, in Paris, June 9, 2024.
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French President Emmanuel Macron (L) and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier visit the memorial center during the 80th anniversary of the massacre of 643 persons by Nazi German forces, in Oradour-sur-Glane, France, on June 10, 2024. French President Emmanuel Macron (2ndL), the Mayor of Oradour-sur-Glane (L), and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (2ndR) walk along a street in Oradour-sur-Glane, June 10, 2024. French President Macron (L) and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier stand together as they pay their respects during a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the Oradour-sur-Glane massacre, June 10, 2024.
Swiss President Viola Amherd, center, speaks during a press conference ahead of the Ukraine peace conference being organized by Switzerland, in Bern on June 10, 2024. Ukrainian flags flutter over hundreds graves of Ukrainian servicemen killed in fighting since the Russian invasion, in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on June 6, 2024.