Jimmy Lai, a media billionaire, and seven other pro-democracy campaigners in Hong Kong were sentenced to up to 14 months in prison last year for participating in a forbidden vigil for victims of China's 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.
A candlelit ceremony was held annually from June 4 until 2020, when authorities banned the event due to coronavirus concerns, despite Hong Kong's insignificant cases at the time. Despite the police barriers surrounding Victoria Park, many numbers gathered for a peaceful remembrance that did not result in widespread infection.
Judge Amanda Woodcock, who handed down the sentence Monday, stated that the defendants "ignored and minimized a genuine public health crisis" and "wrongly and arrogantly believed" in remembering June 4 rather than preserving the community's health.
Mr. Lai, 74, barrister Chow Hang Tung, 36, and campaigner Gwyneth Ho, 31, were sentenced to 13 months, 12 months, and six months in prison. They had all entered not-guilty pleas.
Five others who pled guilty, including Lee Cheuk-yan, the leader of the now-disbanded Hong Kong Alliance vigil organizers, were sentenced to between just over four and fourteen months in prison.
"If there was a provocateur, it was the regime that opened fire on its own people," a tragic Lee testified last month in court. "If going to jail is necessary to reaffirm my will, then so be it."
Numerous defendants face additional charges or are already serving prison sentences in connection with a massive crackdown on Hong Kong's opposition movement since mid-2020, when Beijing imposed a national security law on the city, prohibiting secession, subversion, and collaboration with foreign forces.
The law took effect weeks after the June 4 memorial service. This year, the event was once again prohibited on epidemic grounds, but people complied, fearful of arrest. On July 1, an annual pro-democracy march was also canceled after authorities rejected authorization, detaining Ms. Chow and others hours before the march began.
Other sectors of society have been impacted: Mr. Lai's pro-democracy tabloid Apple Daily was forced to close after he and several other senior employees were indicted under the security law. Civil society organizations have disbanded, and new election rules imply that next week's election will have no candidates from established opposition parties, with most former legislators imprisoned or exiled.
Mr. Lai wrote in a mitigation letter from prison that if it is a crime to "commemorate those who died as a result of injustice," then "inflict that crime on me and let me suffer the punishment associated with it, so that I may share the burden and glory of those young men and women who shed their blood on June 4."
Mr. Lai has become an international emblem of Hong Kong's dwindling press freedoms following his detention last year and an increasing number of court cases.
The World Association of News Publishers presented him and his newsroom with the Golden Pen of Freedom this month. Mr. Lai was included in a list of media figures "forced to make such sacrifices to hold the line" in Philippines journalist Maria Ressa's acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize last week.
Additionally, supporters recently launched a campaign in solidarity with Mr. Lai to draw attention to the fact that the septuagenarian may spend the remainder of his life in prison once his court cases conclude.
"I want to ensure that as many people as possible around the world stand up for Jimmy Lai, who is a hero to anyone who believes in freedom, liberty, and the rule of law," Chris Patten, Hong Kong's final British colonial governor, said in a video message posted to the "Letter For Lai" website.
Garnett Genuis, a Canadian Conservative MP, also made a video declaring his support for Mr. Lai "and the people of Hong Kong in their fight for freedom."
It is uncertain what kind of success such international pressure may aspire for. Numerous senior Hong Kong officials have been sanctioned and their Chinese counterparts for their roles in the recent crackdown. International organizations and foreign governments have consistently denounced security law prosecutions. Beijing has responded by blaming foreign countries for interference in China's domestic affairs, while the Hong Kong government has dismissed charges that people's liberties have been harmed.
With nearly every significant individual imprisoned or exiled, optimism and hope for the future are frequently scarce within the opposition movement. Ms. Chow, who served as vice-chair of the Hong Kong Alliance before its dissolution, offered a striking contrast in court.
"If those in power wished to put an end to the movement through prosecution and imprisonment, they will be bitterly disappointed," she said in a statement. "Indeed, they have resurrected the movement, energizing a new generation in the long fight for truth, justice, and democracy."
