Activists sentenced to prison in Hong Kong for unauthorized Tiananmen memorial

Activists in Hong Kong have been sentenced to prison for participating in an unauthorized Tiananmen Square memorial in 2020.

Tiananmen Square memorials were banned the past two years, with authorities citing the coronavirus pandemic as the reasoning, but others claim it was an excuse to silence protesters.

Nine pro-democracy activists on Wednesday were sentenced to between six and 10 months in prison for their part in the memorial in 2020. Three others were given suspended sentences, Reuters reported. 

All 12 pleaded guilty to participating in the memorial despite orders that the vigil not be held. 

“The defendants ignored and belittled a genuine public health crisis,” Hong Kong District Judge Amanda Woodcock said.

“They wrongly and arrogantly believed their common purpose was more important than protecting the community or the public’s right to protection from a serious health risk,” she added. 

The sentence follows other pro-democracy activists from the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China being denied bail after they were arrested for not handing over information about their group to the police. 

Activists in Hong Kong have been persecuted under Beijing’s National Security Law that has been used to target pro-democracy voices.