Hong Kong pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai has been sentenced to 14 months in prison after being found guilty of unauthorised assembly.
Lai, the 73-year-old founder of Apple Daily and a fierce critic of Beijing, was one of several activists in court on Friday who were earlier found guilty of charges relating to large pro-democracy demonstrations in 2019.
Lai was sentenced to 12 months for the 18 August demonstration and another eight months for 31 August.
However, the judge ordered for the sentences to be served concurrently except for two months. Former lawmaker Lee Cheuk-yan was also jailed for both demonstrations.
The verdict comes as the mainland is increasingly cracking down on Hong Kong’s rights and freedoms.
Several other activists were sentenced on Friday for participating in two demonstrations, on 18 August and 31 August 2019. They include veteran campaigner Martin Lee, and lawyer Margaret Ng, whose sentences were suspended.
The tycoon faces another six charges – two of which were imposed under the country’s new National Security Law, which can carry a maximum term of life in prison.
The law, implemented in Hong Kong by China last year, criminalises secession and subversion. Earlier this month, Beijing overhauled the territory’s electoral rules to ensure more loyalty to the mainland.
Their Defence team had argued that freedom of assembly is protected under Hong Kong’s constitution, and that authorities had approved a demonstration which only then grew into the unauthorised march.
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