Hong Kong has sentenced dozens of democracy protestors to years in prison, in the largest trial since Beijing’s National Security Law was imposed on the city in 2020. The imprisonment of the 45 former elected legislators and pro-democracy campaigners comes just a day after Keir Starmer met Xi Jinping, telling the Chinese leader that he wants a “strong UK-China relationship”. The draconian punishments that have been dished out today are a humiliation for the Prime Minister’s attempt to build rapport with Beijing.
Student leader Joshua Wong was imprisoned for four years
Among those who have been locked up are law professor Benny Tai, sentenced to ten years, journalist Gwyneth Ho, jailed for seven years, and student leader Joshua Wong, imprisoned for four years. Most of the Hong Kong 45 have already spent several years behind bars – with some of the arrests taking place on 6 January 2021, a devastating day for democracy.