Hong Kong activist ‘Grandma Wong' sentenced to 8 months in jail over pro-democracy protests
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Veteran activist Alexandra Wong, popularly known as “Grandma Wong,” was sentenced to eight months in jail over her participation in pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.
Wong, 66, was sentenced at the Eastern Court on Wednesday with two counts of unlawful assembly in connection with two flash mobs during a protest on Aug. 11, 2019.
Wong joined protesters who gathered by Exit A of the Quarry Bay MTR station during the night of the flash mob protest, according to the prosecutor. Principal Magistrate Ada Yim emphasized Wong’s usage of flags and chants to encourage the gathering.
The activist, who criticized the government as an “authoritarian regime,” was seen waving a British Union flag and chanting slogans, including “Shame on the police’s collusion with the gangsters, shame on their betrayal of Hongkongers.”
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Wong previously pleaded not guilty in March, but recently said she would plead guilty to the two charges as the trial was proceeding “too slowly.”
Yim reduced Wong’s imprisonment sentence to 32 weeks from 40 weeks for pleading guilty.
The 66-year-old is known for supporting activists in connection with anti-government demonstrations. She has also held one-woman demonstrations outside of courthouses in support of pro-democracy activists during their hearings.
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She has previously been jailed over protest-related offenses, including an altercation with a security guard at the High Court in January 2019 and her refusal to give her ID to police during a protest in January 2021.
Featured Image via South China Morning Post
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