Hong Kong student leader Joshua Wong was found guilty this morning of participating in a protest that led to the 2014 mass pro-democracy rallies, in a case he has slammed as political persecution.
Wong was convicted for taking part in an unlawful assembly after he and other students climbed into a Hong Kong government complex forecourt known as Civic Square on Sep. 26, 2014.
That protest triggered wider rallies that exploded two days later when police fired tear gas to disperse crowds. The verdict could see Wong jailed for up to five years.
He was found not guilty of incitement.
Fellow student leaders Alex Chow and Nathan Law were also convicted over the same protest – Chow for unlawful assembly and Law for inciting others to do so.
All three were released on bail and are due back on court on Aug. 15 for sentencing.
The student leaders said they had not yet decided whether they would appeal.
Wong has been in and out of court hearings for the past year after being charged with multiple offences linked to various protest actions.
He was acquitted in June over an anti-China protest in the first of a series of cases against him to reach a verdict.
Words: AFP with additional reporting by Coconuts HK
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article has been updated.
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