9 seek to overturn rioting convictions, sentences over 2019 storming of Hong Kong's legislature
Nine people who were jailed for storming Hong Kong's legislature during the city's pro-democracy protests in 2019 are seeking to overturn their convictions and sentences, according to court records.
Among those seeking to appeal after being jailed on rioting charges last year are children's rights activist and former student leader Althea Suen and actor Gregory Wong, Judiciary records showed.
A hearing to determine whether the nine will be allowed to take their challenge to the city's appeals court is scheduled for December 16. The hearing will last two days.
The nine people are among 12 Hongkongers jailed up to 82 months in March last year over the storming of the Legislative Council on July 1, 2019, the anniversary of Hong Kong's handover to Beijing's rule.
That night, protesters occupied the government building, smashed windows, and spray-painted slogans on the walls, marking a major incident in the months-long protests and unrest.
'Symbolic' challenge
Handing down the sentences last year, Deputy District Judge Li Chi-ho said the storming amounted to a symbolic challenge against the Hong Kong government.
He said the protesters committed 'insulting and provocative' acts, such as tearing up copies of Hong Kong's constitution and displaying colonial-era flags.
Wong, whom the court deemed had a low level of involvement in the storming but who pleaded not guilty, was sentenced to 74 months in prison. Suen was sentenced to 57 months after pleading guilty to the rioting charge.
She delivered her mitigation statement in person last year, saying: 'In the eyes of the regime, the real crime is the pursuit of democracy, freedom, and human rights… I hope to regain my freedom soon and return to the people I love, and to continue living in truth, to lead an honest and righteous life.'
Absent from the appeal list were activists Owen Chow and Ventus Lau, who were convicted and jailed over the LegCo storming.
Chow received a jail sentence of 61 months and 15 days. Lau, who was the first to plead guilty among the defendants, was granted a full one-third discount and sentenced to 54 months and 20 days.
Both Chow and Lau are among the 45 opposition figures convicted and jailed for subversion last year in the city's biggest national security trial after taking part in an unofficial primary election in July 2020.
Lau was sentenced to four years and five months in November, while Owen was jailed for seven years and nine months.
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