HONG KONG: A Hong Kong courtroom on Thursday (December 12) convicted distinguished former pro-democracy lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting of rioting after he was attacked by a white-shirted mob in July 2019 on the top of pro-democracy protests in that yr.
On the night time of July 21, 2019, greater than 100 males in white shirts stormed the Yuen Long MTR station within the northwest of the territory, attacking passers-by and journalists with golf equipment and sticks. Many of the attackers have been jailed in 2021 for rioting and conspiracy to injure with intent.
Lam, 47, a longtime member of the Democratic Party, was arrested 13 months after the incident and charged with rioting and aiding in incitement of violence.
He instructed the courtroom he rushed to the scene to assist, however was ultimately taken to hospital with accidents to his head, mouth, arm and wrist requiring 16 to 18 stitches, after being attacked .
District Court Judge Stanley Chan mentioned he didn’t consider Lam had gone to mediate, however as an alternative needed to realize some political benefit, and his presence had stirred issues up.
Lam, who had pleaded not responsible, appeared emotionless along with his arms folded within the dock because the sentence was handed down. Some family began crying. Six different folks have been additionally sentenced together with Lam on Thursday.
Sentencing will happen at a later date. Rioting carries a most sentence of seven years in district courtroom.
The convictions come amid a year-long crackdown on dissent within the Asian monetary hub following the 2019 protests, which noticed pro-democracy activists jailed or exiled, liberal civil society and media shuttered, and an electoral overhaul that prevented opposition Democrats to take part. elections.
The crackdown has been criticized by some nations such because the United States, however authorities in Beijing and Hong Kong say everyone seems to be handled equally underneath the legislation, and the 2 units of nationwide safety legal guidelines enacted since 2020 have restored stability.
Lam is at present serving a six-year, nine-month sentence after being discovered responsible of conspiracy to commit subversion underneath the Beijing-imposed nationwide safety legislation.
“Such a verdict is unfair to these courageous individuals who have been attempting to save lots of the passengers, together with me, from the assault of the white-shirted mob, and represents an act of self-defense,” mentioned Galileo Cheng, a journalist injured within the assault . , he instructed Reuters.