Nine democracy activists on Tuesday were convicted by a Hong Kong court on public nuisance charges for their roles in the protest movement that led to the monthslong occupation of major intersections in the city five years ago. The activists face prison terms of up to seven years.
The protests, which became known as the Umbrella Movement, galvanized the city and sought to force Hong Kong’s top official to step down and the government to accept more democratic means to elect future leaders. While the protests had no formal leaders, three of the people on trial — Chu Yiu-ming, a retired pastor, and two professors, Benny Tai and Chan Kin-man — were founders of Occupy Central With Love and Peace, one of the main groups advocating civil disobedience to demand changes to Hong Kong’s electoral system.
