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Chris Lau

The three founders of the 2014 Occupy movement have lodged appeals after two of them were jailed over their roles in Hong Kong’s biggest ever civil disobedience movement, according to their lawyers.
Law scholar Benny Tai Yiu-ying, 54, and retired sociologist Chan Kin-man, 60, were jailed for 16 months on April 24 by West Kowloon Court, after they were found guilty of one count of conspiracy to cause a public nuisance and another of inciting others to do the same.
Reverend Chu Yiu-ming, 75, who was also convicted on the conspiracy charge, had his 16-month sentence suspended due to health concerns.

Their lawyers confirmed on Friday that they had filed appeal notices on their clients’ behalf.
While Tai and Chan would appeal against both their convictions and sentences, Chu sought to overturn his conviction only, according to the lawyers.
“The trio with advice of their counsel will continue to study the reasons for the verdict to formulate perfect grounds to argue before the Court of Appeal,” a spokesman for the three said in a statement.
They were among a group of nine who were found guilty last month over the 79-day campaign for greater democracy, which brought parts of the city to a standstill.
Rival groups in fight over whether HKU should fire Benny Tai
Legislator Shiu Ka-chun, 49, and vice-chairman of League of Social Democrats Raphael Wong Ho-ming, 30, who were found guilty of one count of inciting others to incite and another of inciting, were jailed for eight months.
Former Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Wing-tat, 63, guilty of one incitement charge, was handed a suspended sentence. Wong had already filed his appeal, the Post was told, while Lee and Shiu had previously said they intended to do so.




Ex-student leader Tommy Cheung Sau-yin, 25, and Eason Chung Yiu-wa, 26, were sentenced to 200 hours of community service and a suspended jail sentence respectively after being found guilty of the same two charges as Wong and Shiu. Cheung told the Post that his lawyers would file his appeal against the conviction on Monday.
‘Don’t place all the blame on Occupy founders for 2014 upheaval’
The sentencing for legislator Tanya Chan, who was also convicted of the two charges, was postponed to June 10 after it was revealed she needed treatment for a life-threatening brain tumour.
The protests, which began on September 28, 2014, were sparked by ire over a restrictive framework Beijing laid down for the direct election of Hong Kong’s leader. Activists were outraged that the proposal would not allow them to nominate their own leaders, but to choose from a pool of preselected ones.
During the protests, demonstrators poured into Admiralty, Wan Chai and Central, blocking major thoroughfares in the heart of the city. Police fired tear gas to disperse the crowds but to no avail.
The nine maintained during the trial that the protests were peaceful and that they did not do more than necessary to fight for their goals.
But judge Johnny Chan Jong-herng – who convicted them – called the group “naive” for thinking that things would change with a snap of the fingers. He also said they had put their ideals over “ordinary folks” who relied on the roads for commute.


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Occupy Central

Occupy founding trio launch appeal against convictions and jail sentences over Hong Kong’s biggest pro-democracy movement

(From left) Chan Kin-man, Benny Tai and Reverend Chu Yiu-ming outside court among supporters. Photo: Sam Tsang

Benny Tai Yiu-ting is seen being escorted to the Lai Chi Kok Detention Centre. 24APR19 Photo: Robert Ng

News

Hong Kong

Law and Crime

While Benny Tai and Chan Kin-man will challenge their convictions and sentences, Reverend Chu Yiu-ming only seeks to overturn his conviction


While Benny Tai and Chan Kin-man will challenge their convictions and sentences, Reverend Chu Yiu-ming only seeks to overturn his conviction.


Hong Kong courts

Occupy founding trio launch appeal against convictions and jail sentences over Hong Kong’s biggest pro-democracy movement

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}While Benny Tai and Chan Kin-man will challenge their convictions and sentences, Reverend Chu Yiu-ming only seeks to overturn his conviction

While Benny Tai and Chan Kin-man will challenge their convictions and sentences, Reverend Chu Yiu-ming only seeks to overturn his conviction