Hong Kong Activist Edward Leung Loses Appeal Against Prison Term

(Bloomberg) -- A Hong Kong court rejected an appeal by an influential activist who was trying to reduce his prison sentence for rioting related to a violent 2016 protest.

Edward Leung, 28, a self-described Hong Kong “localist” whose more radical approach to politics won him supporters among the city’s protesters, had been sentenced to six years in prison in 2018 for helping to lead the protest in Kowloon’s Mong Kok neighborhood. His efforts to reduce his sentence were rejected by the Hong Kong Court of Appeal on Wednesday.

The decision comes as Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protesters begin to renew their demonstrations after the global Covid-19 pandemic and social-distancing restrictions mostly suppressed the violent unrest that had rocked the city last year. The rejection of Leung’s appeal could prompt further protests.

Leung’s slogan -- “Reclaim Hong Kong, Revolution of Our Time!” -- was widely adopted by participants in protests that gripped the Asian financial hub for much of last year. In October, at the height of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy demonstrations, a court appearance by Leung attracted hundreds of supportive protesters who waved flags and chanted in support.

The protest in 2016 began in opposition to government restrictions on unlicensed street vendors during the Lunar New Year and came to be known as the “fishball riot.” More than 90 police officers were injured and warning shots were fired into the air, making it some of the worst unrest in decades.

Leung was convicted for rioting under a colonial statute that authorities have increasingly used against protesters. The incident also helped him become one of the city’s most prominent radicals.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.