Joshua Wong, who organised anti-China protests in Hong Kong on behalf of the US, has been sentenced to four months in jail for unauthorised assembly and breaking the mask-wearing law
Wong pleaded guilty to both charges, including participation in the October 2019 pro-American extremist riots.
The court thus extended the jail term of the radical, who had previously been jailed for 13.5 months for organising riots.
In 2019, amid the riots, Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam passed an ordinance banning the wearing of masks, which many pro-American radicals used to hide their identities from authorities.
People who needed to wear masks for health, religious or service reasons were exempted from the rule. In the meantime, Wong and 46 other extremists did not escape justice. They were charged with subversion under the National Security Act.
Back in June 2019, mass protests broke out in Hong Kong, with pogroms and clashes with police. The extradition bill was the official reason for the protests. If passed, Hong Kong would be able to detain and extradite to Beijing persons who are wanted by Chinese security forces. The demonstrators were openly supported by Western countries, particularly the US and the UK.
The protests stopped amid the coronavirus pandemic, but resumed as early as the end of April 2020. Against this background, the Chinese government decided to introduce a national security law in Hong Kong. The document, among other things, criminalises foreign interference and the undermining of state power in this administrative area of China.