A Hong Kong court on Friday jailed media tycoon Jimmy Lai and other pro-democracy activists for their roles in organizing a protest highlighting opposition to the Chinese Communist Party on the 70th anniversary of its rule.
Lai received a jail term of 14 months, while former lawmaker Albert Ho and six others received 14 to 18 months in prison. Two people received suspended sentences. The trial was related to an unauthorized assembly marking National Day on Oct. 1, 2019, when protests erupted across the Asian financial hub, with many starting out peaceful and turning violent as police cracked down.
Lai is among the besieged members of the pro-democracy movement that Hong Kong has been imprisoning or detaining while they await trial as Beijing tightens its hold over the city. He faces other criminal cases, including offenses under a national security law China imposed last year. Those charges carry a maximum term of life in prison.