Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong faces another 10 months in prison
Joshua Wong, a pro-democracy activist and politician from Hong Kong has been sentenced to 10 more months over unauthorized protests that took place last year.
Hong Kong is not an independent sovereign state, it is one of two Special administrative regions of China (SAR). After being under the control of the United Kingdom for 99 years, U.K. and China signed a treaty in 1984 giving the control of the state back to China resulting in it enjoying “a high degree of autonomy, except in foreign and defense affairs” for 50 years.
It has its own legal systems, independence, and freedom of speech, and freedom of press intact and protected- it is one of the few places in Chinese territory where people can commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown when martial law was imposed and the military opened fire on unarmed protesters in Beijing.
Last year, the activist had gathered with around a thousand other people to commemorate the 1989 crackdown in a peaceful vigil in an unauthorized assembly. However, during this time, the Hong Kong administration had barred all forms of gatherings and protests because of the coronavirus outbreak.
During this time, the Chinese government had imposed a National Security Law on the city, criminalizing acts of terrorism, secession, and collusion with foreign powers- this was seen as a direct and urgent threat to Hong Kong people’s right to protest against the China government and freedom of speech.
Joshua, 24 was facing prison time along with 47 other activists for other illegal unauthorized gatherings under the law. His 15-month sentence has been cut down to 10 after he pleads guilty.
