HONG KONG — A Hong Kong court extended bail Wednesday for nine pro-democracy protest organizers who are awaiting sentencing after being convicted of public nuisance offenses. The guilty verdicts handed down Tuesday against the nine were condemned by rights activists as a likely sign of increasing restrictions on free expression in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory. Protesters demanded the right to choose Hong Kong’s own leader rather than merely approve a candidate picked by Beijing but failed to win any concessions from the government. Ranging in age from their 30s to 70s, the nine defendants span generations of Hong Kong citizens who have been agitating for full democracy. However, Chinese president and Communist Party leader Xi Jinping has been seen as extending his crackdown on civil liberties to Hong Kong, drawing criticism from commercial and legal associations as well as political, human rights and media groups.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer April 10, 2019 07:30 UTC