Hong Kong: Jailed democracy activists Joshua
Wong and Nathan Law were released on bail today pending an
appeal against convictions for their role in the 2014 Umbrella
Movement protests.
The jail sentences handed down by the city's Court of
Appeal in August came amid mounting fears that Beijing is
tightening its grip on the semi-autonomous city and that rule
of law is being compromised.
Wong, 21, who became the face of the mass pro-democracy
protests while still a teenager, was jailed for six months
while Law, 24, was imprisoned for eight months.
They were granted bail at the Court of Final Appeal until
November 7, the first appearance in the appeal proceedings.
A third activist, Alex Chow, who was jailed for seven
months alongside Law and Wong, was not part of Tuesday's
hearing.
Wong's father Roger, who has heavily criticised his son's
imprisonment, was at the court.
Supporters outside punched the air at news of the pair's
release.
Lawmaker Eddie Chu said their release on bail was
"encouraging news for supporters of democracy".
"We need them out here with us to fight these battles,"
he told AFP outside the court.
By late morning Wong and Law were yet to emerge as they
completed paperwork with their legal teams. The Umbrella trio were found guilty last year on unlawful
assembly charges for storming a fenced-off government
forecourt known as "Civic Square" as part of a September 2014
protest calling for fully free leadership elections.
Their arrests sparked wider rallies which exploded two
days later when police fired tear gas on the crowds,
triggering demonstrations that brought parts of Hong Kong to a
standstill for more than two months in an unprecedented
challenge to Beijing.
Wong and Law initially received community sentences and
Chow a three-week suspended sentence at a magistrates' court
over the Civic Square protest.
But Hong Kong's justice department then sought to
increase those terms, with prosecutors arguing they should
receive harsher punishment.
The judgement jailing them in August said the court must
"send out a clear message to society" that protesters must
abide by the law.
Wong's imprisonment prevented him from running for Hong
Kong's partially directly elected parliament, something he
said he had wanted to do. He had been waiting to turn 21 to
become eligible to stand. Wong celebrated that landmark birthday in jail last
month.
Wong and Law each offered cash bail of HK
50,000 (USD
6,400) today. They were required to surrender their passports,
not leave Hong Kong and report to police once a week as part
of the terms.
