Hong Kong student leader Joshua Wong convicted over 2014 democracy protests

The court releases Joshua Wong on bail till the final verdict on August 15.

Hong Kong student leader Joshua Wong was convicted on Thursday for leading mass pro-democracy protests in 2014.

Wong was found guilty of illegitimate assembly and climbing into the Civic Square, a Hong Kong government complex forecourt, on September 26, 2014, along with other students.

The rally sparked wider protests and the police had to fire tear gas shells to disperse crowds.

Two other fellow student leaders, Alex Chow and Nathan Law, were also convicted on Thursday over the same protest. Chow was condemned for taking part in the protest, while Law was found guilty of provoking others to do the same.

All three of them were released on bail and are supposed to be back in court on August 15 for the final sentencing.

The verdict could see Wong jailed for up to 5 years.

Wong was seen a number of times in court hearings over the last year after being charged with multiple offenses related to different protest actions.

In June, he was acquitted over an anti-China protest, the first of a series of cases charged against him to get a verdict.

In 2014, Wong was one of the prominent leaders of the "Umbrella Movement" which brought parts of the city to a standstill for more than two months. The residents of Hong Kong urged Beijing to allow fully free elections of future leaders.

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