Students graduating in Hong Kong have once more used a ceremony to protest eroding freedoms in the city, speaking out against the ongoing trial of two scholars and a priest for "inciting" the 2014 pro-democracy movement. "The Nine are innocent!" some students shouted at the graduation ceremony at Lingnan University chaired by Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam on Thursday, in a reference to the ongoing trial of nine pro democracy activists and politicians on public order charges.
The three activists who initiated the 2014 Umbrella movement – law professor Benny Tai, retired sociology professor Chan Kin-man, and reverend Chu Yiu-ming -- face one count each of conspiracy to cause public nuisance, inciting others to cause public nuisance, and inciting people to incite others to cause public nuisance.
Former student federation leaders Tommy Cheung and Eason Chung, League of Social Democrats vice-chairman Raphael Wong, and lawmakers Tanya Chan and Shiu Ka-chun face two counts of inciting others to cause a public nuisance, while former Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Wing-tat faces one count.
