A Hong Kong student leader has said he is the target of a “political prosecution” after he was charged over protests that led to last year’s mass pro-democracy rallies.
Joshua Wong, 18, who became the face of the democracy movement, was already due in court on Friday on separate charges of obstructing police at an earlier demonstration.
The teenager and other activists have accused the authorities of a witch-hunt against those at the forefront of the so-called umbrella movement that brought parts of the city to a standstill for more than two months.
Protesters called for fully free elections of the city’s next leader, in the face of a Beijing-backed political reform package under which candidates would have been vetted by a loyalist committee.
That bill was vetoed in June in an unprecedented rebuke to Beijing, leaving the city politically polarised.
Wong was charged on Thursday with “unlawful assembly, and inciting others to take part in an unlawful assembly”. The charges, which could result in a sentence of up to five years, relate to a student protest on 26 September last year during which some climbed into a square that is part of the city’s government complex.
Wong and other activists were arrested, sparking wider demonstrations which exploded two days later when police fired teargas to disperse the crowds. Thousands more took to the streets in the wake of what they saw as heavy-handed policing.
“Today … is political prosecution,” said Wong before he entered a police station in the central neighbourhood of Wan Chai. “Being involved in the civic square action is the best mission I have made in the four years I’ve been involved in social student movements. I will not regret it … if I have to pay the price.”
Wong’s lawyer Michael Vidler confirmed later that the teen had been charged. “I think the whole rationale for proceeding at this stage, a year after the event, is totally flawed,” Vidler said. “In my view it’s a clear abuse of process.”
Another prominent student protester, Alex Chow, was charged with taking part in an unlawful assembly. Nathan Law, a student leader, was charged with inciting others to take part in an unlawful assembly. The three will have their charges heard at a magistrates court on 2 September.