Jailed Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong pleads guilty to charges stemming from 2019 mask ban protest
- Wong admits violating the city’s emergency mask ban and taking part in an unauthorised assembly on October 5, 2019, the same day the controversial regulation took effect
- His co-defendant, fellow activist Koo Sze-yiu, pleads not guilty to one count of taking part in the same unauthorised protest
The 24-year-old on Friday returned to court alongside veteran activist Koo Sze-yiu, 74, to face charges stemming from a Hong Kong Island rally on October 5, 2019, when hundreds of people marched from Causeway Bay to Central in protest against the mask ban, which came into effect that morning.
City leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor had invoked a colonial-era emergency law, on the grounds of public danger, to prohibit facial coverings at demonstrations in a bid to quell months of anti-government protests, sparked by the now-withdrawn extradition bill.
The young activist is currently serving a 13½-month prison term handed down last month for incitement and organising an unauthorised assembly over a 15-hour siege of police headquarters in Wan Chai that took place on June 21, 2019.
His latest case was previously put on hold pending the top court’s ruling on the legality of the mask ban.
Last month, the Court of Final Appeal ruled the ban was constitutionally valid – for all public assemblies, meetings and processions – because it was a proportionate measure, and necessary for dealing with the frequent violence that accompanied the anti-government protests.
Eastern Court heard on Friday that the march in October was not an authorised event under the Public Order Ordinance, as the police commissioner did not receive prior notice or issue a so-called letter of no objection.
Prosecutors said most of the participants wore masks, while others held umbrellas, with the crowd chanting slogans such as the protest rallying cry “Five demands, not one less”.
Mask ban constitutional for all public meetings and processions, top court rules
Wong’s participation was noted in multiple news clippings, including an interview he gave to local Chinese-language media outlet HK01.
He was also seen wearing a black surgical-style mask when he reached Queensway and took a selfie with a foreign correspondent shortly after 3pm.
On Friday, Wong pleaded guilty before Magistrate Cheang Kei-hong to one count of knowingly taking part in an unauthorised assembly, while his co-defendant Koo denied the same charge, which is punishable by up to five years in prison.
Wong also pleaded guilty to a second charge of using a facial covering at an unauthorised assembly, which carries a maximum sentence of 12 months in prison and a HK$25,000 (US$3,225) fine.
His mitigation and sentencing hearing was adjourned until after Koo’s trial, set to begin on March 23.
