Nine Hong Kong pro-democracy activists who led umbrella movement stand trial
308 views · Published 24 November 2018 · 4:42 · Indexed 9 October 2026
Channel: AP Archive · 2018 · News & Politics
(19 Nov 2018) Three leaders of Hong Kong's 2014 pro-democracy protests and six others are being tried for their involvement in the "Occupy Central" movement that paralyzed the city's financial district for more than two months. The trial for the nine defendants opened Monday. They include two professors and a pastor who spearheaded the campaign to press for free elections of Hong Kong's top leader. Occupy Central leaders shouted slogans before entering the Hong Kong court on Monday. Their campaign became part of the large-scale pro-democracy Umbrella Movement protests which were carried out 79 days between September and December of 2014. It failed to win any concessions. Three university students prosecuted in 2016 for their leadership role in the protests received community service. Judges are under pressure from Beijing to hand down harsher sentences to deter future protests. Some fear that central government meddling will erode judiciary independence and the city's standing as a business capital. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/9e20b49e708c7591e749ff75fa918580
