A Hong Kong court on Tuesday began to hear pleas for lenient sentences from some prominent pro-democracy activists who were found guilty in the city’s biggest national security case and now face up to life in prison.
FILE - Former law professor Benny Tai, a key figure in Hong Kong ’s 2014 Occupy Central protests and also was one of the main organizers of the primaries, who was arrested under Hong Kong ’s national security law, gives the thumbs up as he is escorted by Correctional Services officers in Hong Kong March 2, 2021. A Hong Kong court began mitigation hearings for prominent pro-democracy activists who were convicted under a national security law and now face up to life in prison.
Hours before the hearing began, dozens of people were queueing up outside the court building tightly guarded by police. Some of them, including retiree William Wong, arrived at about 6 p.m. on Monday despite summer heat.“It’s a normal election. Why do people have to be jailed for this? I can’t accept this,” he said.
The judges wrote in their verdict last month that Tai had laid out plans to block city budgets by acquiring a legislative majority, calling it a “constitutional weapon of mass destruction.” They said Tai’s aim was to use the plans to “undermine, destroy or overthrow the existing political system and structure” of Hong Kong.
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