First Hong Kong Protester to Admit ‘Rioting’ Gets Four Years’ Jail

Reuters
By Reuters
May 15, 2020Hong Kong
share
First Hong Kong Protester to Admit ‘Rioting’ Gets Four Years’ Jail
A family member cries and bids farewell to a prison van after protester Sin Ka-ho has been sentenced four years for rioting, in Hong Kong, China, on May 15, 2020. (Tyrone Siu/Reuters)

HONG KONG—A 21-year-old Hong Kong lifeguard, the first pro-democracy protester to plead guilty to the charge of rioting during last year’s unrest, was sentenced to four years’ jail on May 15 for a “direct attack on the rule of law.”

Sin Ka-ho was among thousands who surrounded the Legislative Council on June 12 in a bid to stop legislators from giving a second reading to a since-withdrawn bill that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China.

A few dozen protesters, many wearing black and holding a banner reading “Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution of our times” gathered outside the court, chanting “there’s no riot, only tyranny.”

As Sin was driven away in a van, some protesters knocked on its windows and shouted “Stay strong!”

The protest at the Legislative Council was the first of many last year that police cleared with tear gas and rubber bullets, angering moderate Hong Kong people in a pivotal moment for the pro-democracy movement.

Demonstrations turned more confrontational and broadened to demands for democracy in the Chinese-ruled city amid anger at Beijing’s perceived meddling with its freedoms.

Sin admitted to pushing police barricades and hurling umbrellas and other objects at officers, but denied planning the assaults.

NTD Photo
Supporters chase a prison van after protester Sin Ka-ho has been sentenced four years for rioting, in Hong Kong, China, on May 15, 2020. (Tyrone Siu/Reuters)

The defendant’s actions were “a direct attack on the rule of law,” District Court Justice Amanda Woodcock said in the sentencing, which is seen as potentially laying down a marker for the nearly 600 protesters who have been charged with rioting, risking up to 10 years in jail.

Neither Sin nor his lawyer commented on the sentence.

Sin has been the only one so far to plead guilty, in a symbolic blow for the protest movement, whose demands include amnesty for all those arrested and the government dropping its characterization of the protests as “riots.”

Hong Kong, a former British colony, returned to Chinese rule in 1997 with the guarantee of many freedoms not enjoyed on the mainland, including an independent judiciary.

NTD Photo
Supporters raise their hands up symbolizing of the “Five demands, not one less” to bid farewell to a prison van after protester Sin Ka-ho has been sentenced four years for rioting, in Hong Kong, China on May 15, 2020. (Tyrone Siu/Reuters)

The protesters’ main demands are universal suffrage and an independent inquiry into police’s handling of the demonstrations.

Accusations of police brutality must not be used as “a weapon of political protest,” the police watchdog said in a report on Friday, adding that the city appeared to be getting dragged into an “era of terrorism.”

More than 8,300 protesters were arrested between June 2019 and mid-May this year. Over 1,600 have been prosecuted, and 595 face rioting charges.

Sin’s sentence was reduced from six to four years due to his clear record and guilty plea.

Demonstrations are likely to pick up in the summer after a relative lull this year due to social distancing measures taken to fight the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus outbreak, which has largely been brought under control.

By Sharon Tam and Jessie Pang

NTD staff contributed to this report.

ntd newsletter icon
Sign up for NTD Daily
What you need to know, summarized in one email.
Stay informed with accurate news you can trust.
By registering for the newsletter, you agree to the Privacy Policy.
Comments