A different court previously cleared Jackie Chen of rioting after she said she attended protests to call for restraint.
A Hong Kong court has convicted a social worker on charges of rioting over her attendance at 2019 antigovernment protests.
The verdict, announced on Tuesday, found Jackie Chen guilty despite a different court having acquitted her in 2020. The case went to retrial after an appeal from Hong Kong’s Secretary for Justice, underscoring a continued crackdown on political cases in the Chinese territory.
Chen said she had sought during the protests to mediate between police and protesters by using a loudspeaker to urge police to remain calm and not use their weapons.
However, prosecutors argued that Chen actively participated in a riot.
She pleaded not guilty, but Deputy District Judge May Chung ruled that Chen had made unfounded accusations against police, shouting “provocative” words that implied they had used excessive force.
“Through her words and acts, [Chen] expressed her support of the protesters, … which bolstered their determination and confidence to resist the police,” the judge wrote.
Before the verdict, Chen told reporters she had no regrets and had spent five years preparing for the outcome.
“I hope all the people I know will live healthy, they will live happy because we still have our road to walk along,” she said.
After the ruling, she reassured her supporters in the public gallery, shouting that she would be fine. She is due to be sentenced in April.
Growing crackdown
While Hong Kong law allows for a maximum 10-year sentence for rioting, District court rulings are capped at seven years.
The case has drawn attention due to Chen’s limited role in the 2019 democracy protests, which posed the biggest challenge to Beijing’s rule over Hong Kong since the city’s 1997 handover from its former colonial ruler, the United Kingdom.
The protests began over a proposed extradition bill. It was later withdrawn, but the protests escalated into broader calls for democracy and police accountability.
Beijing responded with a sweeping national security law, leading to the prosecution of many activists. Authorities claim the law has restored stability.
Last year, a court sentenced 45 pro-democracy activists to jail terms of up to 10 years in the first mass sentencing since Beijing imposed the law.
