(EPA photo)HONG KONG: Hong Kong's highest court freed pro-democracy activists Joshua Wong and Nathan Law on bail Tuesday pending an appeal of their prison sentences after they were convicted of sparking massive protests in 2014. The decision to release Wong, Hong Kong's most famous activist, and Law, a disqualified lawmaker, coincidentally came the same day China's Communist Party was ending a twice-a-decade congress in Beijing that expanded President Xi Jinping's power. Though the events were unrelated, they highlighted the widening rift between mainland China and semi-autonomous Hong Kong. Broadcaster RTHK reported that Judge Geoffrey Ma required each to post 50,000 Hong Kong dollars ($6,400) for bail, surrender their travel documents and report to police once a week. In August, Wong was given six months in prison and Law received eight months.

Source: Bangkok Post October 24, 2017 17:48 UTC