Eight men aged 19 to 28 were convicted of rioting on Thursday for gathering outside the government headquarters and hurling objects toward police during the protest in Admiralty in 2019.
The District Court earlier found the eight, including six then-students, guilty, included in the 96 people arrested and charged with rioting during the protest.
According to the court, the eight participated in a gathering for a demonstration against the extradition bill in Admiralty after marching from Causeway Bay to the government headquarters on September 29, 2019, during which over 500 protestors were engaged.
Petrol bombs and bricks were hurled by the protesters toward the police who came to the scene to quell the protest. The eight-person group was arrested on the spot when they used umbrellas to build a barrier between police officers and protesters.
In court today, Deputy District Judge David Cheung Chi-wai said three of the defendants had conducted severe crimes, such as wielding a hammer and a bamboo pole and hurling objects at the police.
However, considering six defendants were under 20 years old when being arrested, and all showed remorse, the judge sentenced the eight to between 30 and 36 months imprisonment.
According to the court, the eight participated in a gathering for a demonstration against the extradition bill in Admiralty after marching from Causeway Bay to the government headquarters on September 29, 2019, during which over 500 protestors were engaged.
Petrol bombs and bricks were hurled by the protesters toward the police who came to the scene to quell the protest. The eight-person group was arrested on the spot when they used umbrellas to build a barrier between police officers and protesters.
In court today, Deputy District Judge David Cheung Chi-wai said three of the defendants had conducted severe crimes, such as wielding a hammer and a bamboo pole and hurling objects at the police.
However, considering six defendants were under 20 years old when being arrested, and all showed remorse, the judge sentenced the eight to between 30 and 36 months imprisonment.