Hong Kong pro-democracy lawmaker jailed over 2019 mob attack
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Ex-lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting is already serving a sentence of nearly seven years.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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HONG KONG - A Hong Kong court jailed a former pro-democracy lawmaker and six others on Feb 27 for rioting in relation to a mob attack in 2019, despite lawyers arguing that the men were victims, not aggressors.
On July 21, 2019, a gang of men dressed in white shirts and carrying sticks stormed the Yuen Long railway station and pounced on commuters and other people returning from pro-democracy rallies.
The violent scenes, along with allegations of police complicity, caused widespread outrage and galvanised the huge pro-democracy protests at the time.
But the government has rebranded the incident in recent years as a clash between evenly matched sides.
Ex-lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting earlier told the court he rushed to the scene that night to protect and mediate,
But District Court judge Stanley Chan handed Lam a prison term of three years and one month, saying that he “showed no remorse”.
Lam is already serving a sentence of nearly seven years, having been convicted in 2024 alongside other opposition figures under Hong Kong’s sweeping national security law.
The Feb 27 ruling will add 34 months to his time behind bars.
The six other people received sentences of up to two years and seven months.
Beijing has tightened its grip on Hong Kong and imposed the security law in the wake of the 2019 protests, with most opposition voices silenced.
But the Yuen Long attack has left a lasting stain on the reputation of Hong Kong authorities and dented public trust in the police.
The police have arrested 69 people over the attack, according to local media.
Of the 22 people charged with rioting so far, 14 of them were associated with the white-clad faction and nearly all were jailed.
Some of the men dressed in white were identified as government loyalists or as having ties to organised crime. AFP
