- On Thursday, a Hong Kong court sentenced 7 men to 3-1/2 to 7 years in prison for their role in anti-government protests.
- The 2019 attacks on pro-democracy protesters, journalists and bystanders at train stations were one of the most violent scenes of the 2019 riots.
- The attack sparked criticism of the police, calling it a slow response as pro-democracy activists called it, and some accused them of colluding with gangsters.
On Thursday, a Hong Kong court sentenced 7 men to 3-1/2 to 7 years in prison for assaulting democracy protesters, journalists and bystanders at the railway station during the most intense anti-government protests in 2019.
More than 100 people wearing white T-shirts and brandishing clubs attacked the northern part of Yuen Long on July 21. This was one of the most violent scenes of the riots in 2019.
The attack sparked criticism of the police, calling it the slow response described by democracy activists, with some accusing them of colluding with criminals suspected of carrying out the attack.
The police dismissed the allegations and blamed the slow response in part on the consumption of resources by protests elsewhere.
Huang Yingjie, Wu Weinan, Deng Yingbin, Cai Liji and Deng Weisen were found guilty of riots, intentional assault or conspiracy to injure, and sentenced to up to 7 years in prison. The highest penalty that the district court can impose on these crimes.
Unlike the other five, Lin Guanliang and Lin Qiming were convicted of riots and sentenced to four years and eight months in prison.
When sentencing, Judge Eddie Ye described these crimes as “mob justice, causing public panic.”
These sentences marked the first conviction of any white shirt attacker.
More than a dozen people who supported the sentenced people unfolded banners outside the courtroom, which read: “They were forced to defend their homes and were sentenced to heavy sentences. Where is justice? Injustice will eventually be rehabilitated.”
The police said last month that they had arrested 63 people in connection with the Yuen Long incident. Fifteen of them were charged with participating in the riots, and eight were also charged with “conspiracy to intentionally harm”.
Media statistics show that seven of the accused were not part of the white shirt thug. Lin Zhuoting, a former pro-democracy legislator, was injured and hospitalized during the live broadcast of the attack. He was also charged with rioting.
An award-winning journalist, Bao Choy, investigated police actions for public radio station RTHK in April. He was convicted in April of illegally obtaining vehicle registrations to track the people behind the attack.
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