Hong Kong jails 12 people over the storming of the legislature in 2019

A Hong Kong court on Saturday sentenced 12 people to between 54 and 82 months in prison over the storming of the city’s legislature council building during a pro-democracy protest in 2019, the city’s public broadcaster RTHK said.

RTHK said the defendants were convicted of rioting on July 1, 2019, when a large group of protesters smashed through glass doors and stormed Hong Kong’s legislative council building after weeks of mass demonstrations.

Deputy District Court judge Li Chi-ho said the storming of the building represented a challenge to the Hong Kong government and had long-lasting effects on the city, according to RTHK.

Two reporters who were previously acquitted of rioting were fined 1,500 Hong Kong dollars ($192) and 1,000 Hong Kong dollars ($128) for entering the legislature, according to RTHK.