No jail for Occupy leaders Joshua Wong and Nathan Law, with Law still clear for Legco run
Sentencing judge describes pro-democracy activists as deserving of leniency in incident that started 2014 civil disobedience movement in Hong Kong
Eastern Court magistrate June Cheung Tin-ngan had intended to sentence all three to community service orders.
But yesterday, she jailed former Federation of Students secretary general Alex Chow Yong-kang, 25, for three weeks suspended for one year because he needed to study abroad.
Wong, 19, and Demosisto president Law, 23, were each given 80 and 120 hours of community service for their respective convictions on one count of unlawful assembly and one of inciting others to take part in an unlawful assembly.
They became the first organisers convicted after leading the pro-democracy civil disobedience movement.
They had previously denied the charges, but said they were willing to bear responsibility for their actions.
Their case centred on a key protest that sparked the occupation of key roads almost two years ago, when student activists stormed the east wing forecourt at government headquarters – unofficially dubbed Civic Square – despite it being closed for security reasons on September 26.