The verdict was the latest blow to the flagging democracy movement as the governments in Hong Kong and Beijing tighten the screws in their efforts to exert greater control over the semi-autonomous Chinese territory. Hong Kong had enjoyed a vibrant political culture and freedoms not seen elsewhere in China during the decades it was a British colony. As a result of the clampdown, most of Hong Kong’s outspoken activists are now in jail or in self-exile abroad. “Their conviction is yet another example of Beijing eroding Hong Kong’s freedoms and failing to live up to its international obligations,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said. Lee is known for helping to organize annual candlelight vigils in Hong Kong on the anniversary of the bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Beijing's Tiananmen Square in 1989.

Source: ABC News April 01, 2021 03:16 UTC