ICC NOTE: Christian leader of the democratic movement in Hong Kong known as the “Umbrella” movement was spared a likely sentence of five years. Rather than receiving the maximum for mobilizing thousands of students in a 79 day protest against the Chinese government, Mr. Wong received 80 hours of community service. After the drove of publicly televised trials of human rights lawyers and Christian prisoners, it is a victory to hear of Mr. Wong’s sentence of community service rather than prison time. 

8/15/2016 Hong Kong (Christian Today) – The teenage Christian leader of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy ‘Umbrella’ movement, which protested against Beijing’s grip on the city’s electoral system, has said he does not regret his involvement after being handed a community service sentence.

Joshua Wong, 19, faced up to five years in jail for mobilising thousands of students in 2014 to demonstrate against the Chinese government’s insistence on screening political candidates in Hong Kong to ensure their allegiance to the Communist party.

A court on Monday sentenced Wong and two other student leaders for their role in organising a peaceful-sit in that led to a 79-day protest.

Wong received a community service order of 80 hours, while Nathan Law will serve 120 hours, both for “unlawful assembly”. Alex Chow was given a three week sentence with one year suspension for “incitement”.

Wong said on Twitter that he did not regret his involvement.

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