Former student union president among five sentenced to prison over 2019 protest
The former president of a university student union was sentenced to six months in prison for his involvement in a 2019 protest, prompting a defense lawyer to say that “nobody is a winner” from the social unrest that has gripped Hong Kong in recent years.
The five defendants in the case were all sentenced in relation to an unlawful assembly in Mong Kok in October 2019, with some convicted on additional charges of obstructing a police officer, possessing offensive weapons and assaulting a police officer.
Former Chinese University student union president, Owen Au, said in a mitigation letter that he had chosen to study politics and public administration in order to pursue his ideals and choose his own destiny. However, the social environment in Hong Kong, along with the loss of a friend to suicide, had caused him to feel discouraged.
Another defendant, Walter Tse, submitted a mitigation letter from Catholic bishop Stephen Chow. The lawyer representing Tse also pointed out that the 21-year-old, who is studying architecture at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, had a dream of becoming an architect because he believed the profession can improve society and people’s lives.
The lawyer added that there were no winners in the social unrest Hong Kong has experienced in recent years. “Some are in prison, some have emigrated. It seems that we are all victims of these events,” he said.
Magistrate Jacky Ip sentenced Tse to eight months in prison. The magistrate said that for the unlawful assembly charges, the risk of the gathering descending into violence was extremely high at the time, considering Hong Kong was at the peak of its social unrest and the emergency law banning the wearing of masks at protests had just been implemented.
As a result, Ip said he could not only look at the consequences of the case but also at each defendant’s behavior and the number of people gathered.
The five defendants each received prison sentences ranging from six to eight months.
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