Hong Kong jails 12 people over the storming of the legislature in 2019

HONG KONG (CNN) : A Hong Kong court on Saturday sentenced 12 people to between 54 and 82 months in prison over the storming of the city’s legislature council building during a pro-democracy protest in 2019, the city’s public broadcaster RTHK said.

RTHK said the defendants were convicted of rioting on July 1, 2019, when a large group of protesters smashed through glass doors and stormed Hong Kong’s legislative council building after weeks of mass demonstrations.

Deputy District Court judge Li Chi-ho said the storming of the building represented a challenge to the Hong Kong government and had long-lasting effects on the city, according to RTHK.

Among the defendants, actor Gregory Wong was sentenced to six years and two months in prison, while activists Ventus Lau and Owen Chow were jailed for four and a half years and 61 months, respectively, RTHK reported.

Two reporters who were previously acquitted of rioting were fined 1,500 Hong Kong dollars ($192) and 1,000 Hong Kong dollars ($128) for entering the legislature, according to RTHK.