Hong Kong protests: 6 jailed for up to 49 months over rioting in heart of city’s business district in 2019

Judge tells defendants 4-year jail terms could have been higher, but for extenuating circumstances

Five men, one woman sentenced at District Court on Friday for taking part in ‘large-scale riot’ with thousands of protesters

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Protestors block streets in Central during the 2019 anti-government protests. Photo: K. Y. Cheng

Published: 6:02pm, 23 Jun 2023Updated: 8:37pm, 23 Jun 2023

Five protesters have been sentenced to four years in jail for rioting in Hong Kong’s central business district at the height of the 2019 anti-government protests.

A sixth offender will serve 49 months behind bars after he was given an additional sentence on top of the four-year jail term for possession of items that could be used for vandalism.

Judge Frankie Yiu Fun-che on Friday said the defendants’ jail terms could have been as high as five years if not for their minor involvement, previous clean records, a low risk of reoffending and the delay in court proceedings.

“It was a large-scale riot where thousands of protesters gathered in the bustling district of Central to occupy roads, set fires and vandalise traffic facilities. The case was very serious,” Yiu said.

Riot police carry out a dispersal operation against protesters in Central in 2019. Photo: May Tse

The five men and one woman were sentenced at the District Court for joining thousands of protesters in a confrontation with police in Central on November 12, 2019.