Current:Home > Contact4 former Hong Kong student leaders jailed over their praise of a knife attack on a police officer -Secure Growth Solutions
4 former Hong Kong student leaders jailed over their praise of a knife attack on a police officer
View
Date:2025-04-14 20:17:41
HONG KONG (AP) — Four former student leaders from the University of Hong Kong were sentenced to two years in prison on Monday for inciting people to wound others through their praise of a man who stabbed a police officer before killing himself in 2021.
Kinson Cheung, Charles Kwok, Chris Todorovski and Anthony Yung are being held responsible for their roles in passing a motion in the students union council. The motion expressed “deep sadness” and appreciated the “sacrifice” of the man who took his own life.
The resolution came against the backdrop of widespread public anger against the police, who were condemned as being heavy-handed in quelling the 2019 pro-democracy protests.
Handing down the sentences, Judge Adriana Noelle Tse Ching said the words they used were likely to incite hatred against the police. The charge the four were facing was a serious offense and a lenient sentence would send “the wrong message” to society, she said.
Leung Kin-fai stabbed a police officer with a knife before turning the weapon on himself on July 1, 2021, the anniversary of the former British colony’s handover to Chinese rule in 1997. Leung was described by the city’s authorities as a “lone wolf” domestic terrorist who was politically radicalized.
The passing of the motion drew criticism from the university and Hong Kong’s security bureau, prompting Kwok and his peers to apologize and retract the resolution. Some student leaders also stepped down from their posts.
But their apology did not end the political storm, and police arrested the four in August 2021.
They were originally charged with advocating terrorism under a national security law imposed by Beijing following the 2019 protests. But that charge was dropped after they pleaded guilty to an alternative charge of incitement to wound with intent last month.
The security law has prosecuted or silenced many leading activists under a crackdown on dissent. But Beijing and the Hong Kong government says the law helped bring back stability to the city.
veryGood! (32411)
Related
- 'Stranger Things' prequel 'The First Shadow' is headed to Broadway
- Irish singer Sinead O’Connor died from natural causes, coroner says
- 3 firefighters injured when firetruck collides with SUV, flips onto its side in southern Illinois
- Wisconsin judge rules that absentee voting van used in 2022 was illegal
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- 'Sex with a Brain Injury' reveals how concussions can test relationships
- Who's on the 2024 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot? What to know about election, voting
- After a 'historic' year, here are the states with the strongest and weakest gun laws in 2024
- Messi injury update: Ankle 'better every day' but Inter Miami star yet to play Leagues Cup
- Moon landing attempt by U.S. company appears doomed after 'critical' fuel leak
Ranking
- Small twin
- 'Old hags'? Maybe executive just knew all along Pat McAfee would be trouble for ESPN
- Planets align: Venus, Mercury and Mars meet up with moon early Tuesday
- Will the feds block a grocery megamerger? Kroger and Albertsons will soon find out
- Olympic women's basketball bracket: Schedule, results, Team USA's path to gold
- Microsoft’s OpenAI investment could trigger EU merger review
- Barry Keoghan Details His Battle With Near-Fatal Flesh-Eating Disease
- Planets align: Venus, Mercury and Mars meet up with moon early Tuesday
Recommendation
The seven biggest college football quarterback competitions include Michigan, Ohio State
New labor rules aim to offer gig workers more security, though some employers won’t likely be happy
Russia puts exiled tycoon and opposition leader Khodorkovsky on wanted list for war comments
3 people dead, including suspected gunman, in shooting at Cloquet, Minnesota hotel: Police
IOC's decision to separate speed climbing from other disciplines paying off
RHOSLC Reunion: The Rumors and Nastiness Continue in Dramatic Preview
National Association of Realtors president Tracy Kasper resigns after blackmail threats
Microsoft’s OpenAI investment could trigger EU merger review