Authorities have levied the most serious charges — with a 10-year sentence — against protesters since demonstrations began last month. Pro-democracy activists say reclaiming Hong Kong is the "revolution of our times."
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/V. Yu
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More than 20 people appeared before a Hong Kong court on Wednesday on charges stemming from clashes with police.
Hong Kong authorities charged the protesters with rioting, which carries a maximum jail term of 10 years. One other person was charged with possession of an offensive weapon.
Protesters gathered outside the courthouse, demanding that the protesters be released unconditionally. "Reclaim Hong Kong, revolution of our times," they chanted. "Release the righteous."
Critics have slammed authorities for using a controversial anti-riot law that carries a heavy sentence for any person who "commits a breach of the peace," saying their aim is to deter participation in demonstrations.
"The Chinese government just wants to scare people not to go out and protest again," said a pro-democracy supporter. "It will deter some of us."
Hong Kong has witnessed historic protests over the past month. What first started as demonstrations against a controversial extradition law have blossomed into a movement calling for expanded democratic rights and autonomy.
Earlier this week, China backed the police and city authorities, saying they have the responsibility to maintain the rule of law. "Violence is violence, unlawful acts are unlawful," said a spokesman for the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office in Beijing.
Hong Kong returned to Chinese sovereignty twenty years ago, after 156 years of British rule. The territory's history during this time has been marked by numerous protests against mainland China and the SARS pandemic.
Image: Reuters/B. Yip
1997: Historic moment
The handover of Hong Kong's sovereignty from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China took place on July 1, 1997. The territory on China's Pearl River Delta became a British colony in 1842 and was occupied by Japan during World War II. After Hong Kong's return to China, the political situation was described as "one country, two systems."
Image: Reuters/D. Martinez
1999: No family reunions
Divided families, who had been split by the Hong Kong border, had hoped to be reunited after the territory's return to China. But with a daily quota of only 150 mainland Chinese allowed to settle in Hong Kong, many were left disapointed. This photo from 1999 shows mainland Chinese visitors protesting outside Hong Kong's Legal Aid Department after they were denied residency permits.
Image: Reuters/B. Yip
2002: Dashed hopes
The residency issue flared up again in April 2002 when Hong Kong began deporting some 4,000 mainland Chinese who had lost legal battles to stay in the territory. These desperate families were evicted from a central park where they had been protesting.
Image: Reuters/K. Cheung
2003: The SARS pandemic hits
In 2003, the highly contagious SARS virus spread through Hong Kong. The territory was hard hit by the flu-like virus and in March, the WHO declared it a pandemic. This man attended Doctor Tse Yuen-man's funeral in May. Dr. Tse had volunteered to care for SARS patients and had contracted the virus herself. Hong Kong was declared SARS-free in June 2003. Almost 300 people had died of the disease.
Image: Reuters/B. Yip
2004: Rally for democracy
China's policy of "one country, two systems" has often created tension. In 2004, on the seventh anniversary of the handover, hundreds of thousands of people protested in Hong Kong, demanding political reform. They were calling for democracy and direct elections for Hong Kong's next leader.
Image: Reuters/B. Yip
2008: No place to live
Soaring property prices in Hong Kong forced rents higher. By 2008, it wasn't unusual to see people like Kong Siu-kau living in so-called "cage homes," 15-square-foot (1.4 square meters) wire mesh cubicles, eight of which were usually crammed into one room. Today an estimated 200,000 people call a wire cage, or a single bed in a shared apartment, home.
Image: Reuters/V. Fraile
2009: Remembering Tiananmen Square
On the twentieth anniversary of the government's brutal crackdown in Tiananmen Square, Hong Kong residents gathered for a candlelight vigil in Victoria Park. It showed how different Hong Kong is from China, where the massacre of pro-democracy supporters and students on June 4, 1989, is usually only referred to as the June Fourth Incident.
Image: Reuters/A. Tam
2014: Occupy Central
Starting in September 2014, large-scale protests demanding more autonomy rocked Hong Kong for over two months. Beijing had announced that China would decide on the candidates for the 2017 election of Hong Kong's chief executive. The protests were referred to as the Umbrella Revolution, because protesters used umbrellas to fend off pepper spray and tear gas used by police.
Image: Reuters/T. Siu
2015: Sport becomes political
Less than a year after the Occupy Central protests ended, China played against Hong Kong in a soccer World Cup qualifiying match on November 17, 2015. The guests did not receive a friendly welcome in Hong Kong. Fans booed when the Chinese national anthem was played and held up posters saying "Hong Kong is not China." The match ended 0-0.
Image: Reuters/B. Yip
2016: Another bout of violence
In February 2016, Hong Kong's rough police tactics made headlines again. Authorities tried to remove illegal street vendors from a working-class Hong Kong neighborhood. They sent riot police, who used batons and pepper spray against protesters, and also fired live warning shots into the air. The street clashes were the worst since the Umbrella Revolution in 2014.