Justice in Prevailing Riots: A Hong Kong Landmark Verdict

A Hong Kong court has convicted former lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting of rioting during the July 2019 anti-government protests. The ruling shapes the historical narrative of a critical protest chapter. Lam allegedly incited violence rather than mediating. His sentencing remains pending alongside other co-defendants in the case.

A Hong Kong court delivered a landmark verdict on Thursday, convicting former pro-democracy lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting of rioting. The charges stem from a violent incident at a subway station during the city's anti-government protests in July 2019.

Prosecutors claimed Lam provoked a mob of about 100 men, armed with wooden poles and metal rods, against protesters and bystanders at Yuen Long station. The ruling contradicts Lam's assertion of being a mediator, with Judge Stanley Chan ruling Lam sought political leverage from the chaos.

Lam, already imprisoned under a national security charge, awaits sentencing in this case. His conviction marks a significant episode in Hong Kong’s protest movement history, further exemplifying Beijing's tightening grip since imposing a national security law in 2020.

(With inputs from agencies.)