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Supporters turn out for Hong Kong pro-independence figure Edward Leung’s appeal against Mong Kok riot jail sentence
- He was joined by co-defendants Lo Kin-man and Wong Ka-kui, who were also jailed for their involvement in the 2016 riot
- Leung’s lawyers argued that his six-year jail sentence was excessive, compared to other cases from the same night
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Hundreds of supporters of jailed independence activist Edward Leung Tin-kei converged on a Hong Kong court on Wednesday as he launched an appeal against his six-year prison sentence for rioting in 2016.
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Leung was joined by co-defendants Lo Kin-man and Wong Ka-kui, who were also jailed for seven and 3½ years respectively for rioting on the night of February 8, 2016, in Mong Kok. That night – the first day of the Lunar New Year holiday – protesters lit fires on the streets and hurled bricks at police.
Supporters of the defendants, many wearing face masks, arrived at Hong Kong’s Court of Appeal as early as sunrise to get a seat in the public gallery. They packed the entrance and the area outside the courtroom as they waited for the court’s decision. The court, however, decided to reserve its judgment, with a date yet to be set.
Leung and Lo were both found guilty of one count of rioting on the night of February 8, 2016, while Leung also pleaded guilty to a charge of assaulting a police officer. Wong pleaded guilty to one count of rioting.
During Wednesday’s trial, prosecutors argued that what started out as a scuffle between hawker control officers and street vendors quickly escalated into mass unrest in Mong Kok.
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