As activist Agnes Chow received her first prison sentence, fellow pro-democracy advocate Lily Wong shared the worries she held about her friend’s fate.

Chow and two other activists were sentenced to prison for their involvement in a mass siege of the police headquarters in Wan Chai during a protest against a now-withdrawn extradition bill on June 21 last year. Chow received a 10-month term and will spend her 24th birthday on Thursday behind bars.

Wong met Chow eight years ago when both were in secondary school. Along with other activists, they staged a hunger strike to oppose national education in 2012 and have since participated in other pro-democracy activities together, including last year’s demonstrations.

“[Chow] often keeps her vulnerability under wraps,” Wong said. “She now has to face this [jail term] alone, something she has never experienced. This would make me a little worried.”

Wong added that the three jailed activists put their lives at stake for democracy.

Apart from the case concerning last year’s siege at the police headquarters, Chow is also facing charges of inciting secession, a new offense created under the national security law imposed by Beijing in late June. The charges were pressed despite Chow’s announcement of quitting her political group, Demosisto, shortly before the draconian law was introduced.

Along with Chow, Joshua Wong, 24, was sentenced to 13 ½ months in jail while Ivan Lam, 26, received a seven-month sentence.

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