Hong Kong opposition activists Joshua Wong and Ivan Lam have pleaded guilty to being involved in the last year's siege of the city police headquarters amid the protests against changes to extradition rules, reversing their previous statements, the South China Morning Post newspaper reported on Monday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd November, 2020) Hong Kong opposition activists Joshua Wong and Ivan Lam have pleaded guilty to being involved in the last year's siege of the city police headquarters amid the protests against changes to extradition rules, reversing their previous statements, the South China Morning Post newspaper reported on Monday.
Earlier in the day, Wong and Lam appeared in West Kowloon Court alongside their fellow opposition member Agnes Chow, who had already pleaded guilty to taking part in an unlawful assembly and incitement in July. Wong and Lam previously filed not guilty pleas and were expected to stand trial.
According to the news outlet, Wong has pleaded guilty to organizing unauthorized assembly and incitement to take part in the event. At the same, he has denied taking part in an unlawful assembly and the prosecutors are said to have essentially dropped the charge as they have offered no evidence against him. Meanwhile, Lam pleaded guilty to incitement.
Judge Wong Sze-lai has ordered that the three� be put into custody until the sentencing on Wednesday next week.
The mass protests in Hong Kong started in early June of 2019 as a reaction to proposed amendments to the city's extradition laws, later growing into a full-blown movement against Beijing's authority. The protests were marked by escalating violence between the opposition and the city's law enforcement. In response to the protests, China this year adopted a new national security bill that bans separatist, subversive and terrorist activities, along with any form of foreign interference in Hong Kong.
