HONG KONG, April 16 — Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai was handed an additional jail term today for his involvement in huge democracy rallies, meaning he will serve a total of 14 months in prison.
Lai was initially sentenced today to 12 months in jail for organising one rally, then to another eight months for his participation in a different anti-government protest. However, he will only serve 14 months as part of the jail terms will be served concurrently.
The latest sentencing was linked to a rally on August 31, 2019 marking the fifth anniversary of Beijing’s rejection of a call for universal suffrage for Hong Kong, which sparked the 79-day “Umbrella Movement”.
The rally descended into city-wide chaos as police clashed with pro-democracy protesters.
Alongside Lai, former lawmaker Lee Cheuk-yan was sentenced to six months in jail, while another veteran democrat Yeung Sum received a suspended sentence. — AFP
