HONG KONG - Seven anti-China disruptors in Hong Kong were sentenced by the District Court of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on Saturday to up to 12 months in prison for holding or organizing and inciting others to take part in unauthorized assemblies on July 1 last year.

Figo Chan Ho-wun was sentenced to 12 months in prison. Tsang Kin-shing and Wu Chi-wai were given a 10-month jail term. Leung Kwok-hung was jailed for eight months. Chui Chi-kin, Eddie Chu Hoi-dick, and Tang Sai-lai were sentenced to six months in prison.

Among the eight defendants, the above seven persons have earlier pleaded guilty to the charges, while former district council member Lancelot Chan Wing-tai has pleaded not guilty and will appear in court in June 2022.

Chan, Chu and Leung are serving their terms of other cases, and the judge decided their terms of imprisonment will run consecutively, meaning the three will be jailed for 21 months, eight months, and 23 months, respectively.

Judge Douglas Yau Tak-hong said their violations happened at a time when the national security law in Hong Kong had just taken effect and the social environment was unstable, noting that there was a risk of violence and immediate imprisonment was the only appropriate penalty at that time.

Chan played a leading role in holding or organizing the unauthorized assembly, and despite that the defendants claimed that they wanted to hold a peaceful and non-violent assembly, they knew that there was a risk of violence in the demonstration, and the entire illegal assembly would last longer without the presence of the police, Yau said.