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Brian Wong

A Hong Kong court has jailed four men for up to three years and one month for rioting during the 2019 anti-government protests, in the latest round of sentences following authorities’ pledge to pursue those involved regardless of the time elapsed.
The District Court on Monday sentenced the four defendants for their roles in clashes at and around Polytechnic University in Hung Hom, the site of some of the most intense confrontations between protesters and police during the unrest.
Judge Edmond Lee Chun-man set starting sentences of 54 to 57 months for a joint charge of rioting before reducing each term by 17 to 25 months to reflect the defendants’ guilty pleas and the 6½-year delay between the offences, committed between November 14 and 20, 2019, and sentencing.
Former tutor Chan Yuen-ming, 33, received a total sentence of 21 years and seven months after the court ordered his latest 37-month term to run consecutively with an earlier 18½-year sentence for an unrelated drug trafficking case.
Chan’s lawyers argued that he had suffered a relapse of post-traumatic stress disorder while on remand, as the prison environment triggered memories of his alleged detention and torture in a Chinese-run scam compound in Myanmar in 2022.
However, Lee declined to grant any further reduction, citing a government psychologist’s assessment that Chan showed “no significant psychological distress” and appeared to have adapted to prison life.
The judge added that Chan bore responsibility for the length of his sentence.
“The defendant committed a very serious offence in 2020 [for drug trafficking],” Lee said. “He brought it upon himself, and even if he can only be released after the age of 50, it is not a disproportionate sentence.”

The remaining defendants – student Cheung Chung-yiu, 24; car detailing shop owner Cheung Chin-ming, 30; and construction worker Chan Chun-hei, 22 – were jailed for between 30 and 37 months.
All four, aged between 16 and 27 at the time of the offences, had initially been arrested between November 2019 and April 2020 but were released without charge.
Police rearrested them in June 2024 after reviewing surveillance footage that briefly showed them removing their face coverings.
The university was the scene of some of the worst violence of the months-long protests, which were triggered by a now-withdrawn extradition bill introduced in June 2019. The bill, if passed, would have allowed transfers of fugitives to mainland China and other jurisdictions with which Hong Kong lacked agreements.
What began as a citywide strike on November 11 that year, protesting against police use of force, escalated into a week of street violence, culminating in fierce clashes outside the Hung Hom campus, which had become a stronghold for protesters.
Prosecutors said Cheung Chung-yiu helped barricade a pedestrian bridge at the university, while the other three defendants stole bottles and containers. Police also recovered Chan Chun-hei’s fingerprint from tape attached to a petrol bomb at the scene.
The university cancelled all classes between November 11 and 27 and later spent about HK$300 million (US$38.3 million) repairing damaged facilities.
According to police, more than 10,000 people aged between 11 and 87 were arrested in connection with the 2019 protests, with nearly 3,000 prosecuted.
Authorities have refused to set a deadline for bringing charges against protesters. Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung has argued that doing so would undermine the rule of law and risk “legalising illegal acts”.


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4 jailed for rioting at Polytechnic University during 2019 unrest in Hong Kong

Polytechnic University in Hung Hom was the site of some of the most intense confrontations between protesters and police during the 2019 protests. Photo: Sam Tsang

The four defendants were initially released without charge in 2020, but police re-arrested them in 2024 after reviewing surveillance footage. Photo: Winson Wong

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The four defendants will be sentenced on June 8. Photo: Jelly Tse

The demonstrations in and around PolyU on November 18, 2019, were some of the most intense confrontations of the unrest. Photo: Winson Wong

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Social worker Jackie Chen arrives at the Hong Kong District Court to hear the verdict on her retrial, and is greeted by supporters. Photo: May Tse

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News

Hong Kong

Law and Crime

Male defendants jailed for up to 37 months for roles in clashes, with terms reduced for guilty pleas and delay in sentencing


Male defendants jailed for up to 37 months for roles in clashes, with terms reduced for guilty pleas and delay in sentencing.


Hong Kong protests

China

Hong Kong Polytechnic University

4 jailed for rioting at Polytechnic University during 2019 unrest in Hong Kong

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Male defendants jailed for up to 37 months for roles in clashes, with terms reduced for guilty pleas and delay in sentencing

Male defendants jailed for up to 37 months for roles in clashes, with terms reduced for guilty pleas and delay in sentencing