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Thousands of people in Hong Kong are facing court action for taking part in 2019\u2019s mass protests, which grew out of opposition to a mainland extradition bill into wider calls for democracy.<\/p>\n
While some are well-known names from the city\u2019s political opposition, many others are common citizens who decided to join the months-long demonstrations.<\/p>\n
More than 10,000 people have been arrested in the past three years for their alleged involvement in the protests, government criticism and pro-democracy political activities, according to Hong Kong government data<\/a>. Of those facing charges, the vast majority are people below the age of 30, although they also include some of the city\u2019s veteran opposition leaders.<\/p>\n On Friday, two teenagers were sentenced to five and a half years in prison each for rioting, after being cleared of an earlier charge of manslaughter over the death of a 70-year-old man who was hit in the head by a brick thrown in a confrontation between rival groups of protesters.<\/p>\n With the territory\u2019s vibrant tradition of civil disobedience, Hong Kong people were not unfamiliar with the risk of arrest, but infractions that were once considered minor offences are now ending up in jail time.<\/p>\n Many of the city\u2019s pro-democracy politicians have been arrested under national security legislation that was imposed by Beijing in 2020, and have been languishing in jail for months in pre-trial detention.<\/p>\n Based on British common law, Hong Kong\u2019s justice system was once regarded as one of the most independent and robust in Asia, but has been thrust into the spotlight since the national security law was put in place.<\/p>\n