2019年8日18日170萬港人維園和平反送中集會案，9 人早前被裁定組織及參與未經批准集結兩罪罪成，除了梁國雄「長毛」和區諾軒外，其餘 7 人均是首次被定罪，周五（16 日）在西九龍裁判法院判刑。
黎智英、李卓人判囚 12 個月；梁國雄判囚 18 個月；何秀蘭判囚 8 個月；區諾軒判囚10 個月；5人即時監禁。李柱銘判囚 11 個月，緩刑 24 個月；吳靄儀判囚 12 個月，緩刑 24 個月；何俊仁判囚 12 個月，緩刑 24 個月；梁耀忠判囚 8 個月，緩刑 12 個月。
當日參與170萬民意同囚。
法官胡雅文判刑時指，雖然本案不涉及暴力，但從 2019 年發生的社會事件可見，一旦有群眾聚集時，他們的情緒變得高漲，繼而演變成暴力衝突，故不能忽視潛在風險，其行為明顯是挑戰警權、法律和秩序，故判監是唯一合適的判刑。
判刑受國際媒體關注報導。多名英國、美國及加拿大政界人士昨透過英國組織「香港監察」發表聲明，其中末代港督彭定康批評，中國共產黨持續殘酷地侵犯香港法治和自由。
美國民主黨眾議院議長裴洛西（Nancy Pelosi）推文表示，對李柱銘及其他民主派人士因自由和平示威，而被判刑感到悲傷和不安，這是北京侵犯法治的又一跡象。
國際特赦組織亞太區域主任米什拉指港府「錯誤地控告、定罪及判刑」民主派人士，「反映香港政府意圖消滅所有政治反對派」。
Jimmy Lai + 8 Jailed for 8-18 months for Aug 18 Rally Prompted Global Condemnation
Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai, 73, was handed a 12 month prison sentence on Friday for organizing and participating in an unauthorised assembly on August 18, 2019. 8 others were given 8-18 months jail terms.
About 1.7 million Hong Kong residents joined in a peaceful rally against the Extradition to China amendment at Victoria Park on the said date.
Except for Leung Kwok-hung ‘Long Hair’ and Au Nok-hin, the rest were convicted for the first time and sentenced yesterday (Aug 16) in West Kowloon Magistracy.
Leung Kwok-hung was jailed for 18 months; Cy Ho for 8 months; Au Nok-hin was sentenced for 10 months; all with immediate imprisonment. Martin Lee was sentenced to 11 months in prison with 24 months suspended sentence; Margaret Ng for 12 months suspended 24 months; Albert Ho for 12 months suspended 24 months; Leung Yiu-Chung for 8 suspended 12 months.
This is a prison term for all 1.7 million Hong Kong residents who joined the rally on that day, metaphorically.
Judge Amanda Woodcock said when sentencing that although the case did not involve violence, it can be seen from the protests of 2019 that once the masses gather, their emotions become high, and would turn into violent conflicts. Therefore, potential risks and behaviours cannot be ignored. Obviously it is a challenge to police power, law and order, so imprisonment is the only appropriate sentence.
The sentence was swiftly covered by the international media. Many British, American and Canadian politicians issued statements of condemnation. Among them, the last Hong Kong Governor Chris Patten criticized that the Chinese Communist Party continued to brutally violate the rule of law and freedom in Hong Kong.
U.S. Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tweeted that she is sad and disturbed that Martin Lee and other democrats have been sentenced for free and peaceful demonstrations. This is another sign of Beijing’s violation of the rule of law.
Yamini Mishra, regional director of Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific region, said that Hong Kong government “wrongly accused, convicted and sentenced” democrats, “reflecting Hong Kong government’s intention to silence all political opposition.”
