Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong pleads guilty to against the law assembly
23 November, 2020
Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong on Monday (Nov 23) pleaded guilty to expenses of organising and getting involved in an unauthorised assembly near to the police headquarters during previous year's anti-government protests.
Wong, who was just 17-years-aged when he became the facial skin of the 2014 student-led Umbrella Activity protests, faces a maximal five-yr jail term if convicted.
Before entering the courtroom, Wong said he'd certainly not be surprised if immediate detention followed.
"Possibly the authorities wish me personally in which to stay prison 1 term after another," Wong said.
"But I am persuaded that, neither prison bars, nor election bans, nor any other arbitrary powers would stop us from activism. What we will be doing now could be to explain the worthiness of liberty to the world."
Wong was not a respected number in last year's protests, but his continued activism has drawn the wrath of Beijing, which views it as a "dark hands" of foreign forces.
He disbanded his pro-democracy group Demosisto found in June, just time after China's parliament passed a good sweeping national security laws for Hong Kong, punishing anything Beijing considers due to subversion, secession, terrorism and collusion with overseas forces, with up to life in prison.
His long-period activist colleague Agnes Chow has recently pleaded guilty to costs related to the same June 2019 protest, while Ivan Lam, another former Demosisto colleague was also likely to plead guilty.
Wong also faces charges of participating in an unauthorised assembly found in October 2019 and on Jun 4, 2020 above a vigil commemorating the crackdown on protesters in and around Beijing's Tiananmen Square in 1989.
Earlier this year, Wong was disqualified alongside 11 different pro-democracy politicians and activists from performing in a since-postponed election for the city's legislature.
Wong spent five weeks in jail last year for contempt of court, before being released on Jun 16 when protests were currently in full swing.
Wong's and other activists' repeated arrests have drawn criticism from Western governments who say China isn't fulfilling its obligation to permit Hong Kong a higher amount of autonomy, agreed with ex - colonial get better at Britain when metropolis returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
China denies the accusation and says Hong Kong is its internal affair.
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