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Activists Agnes Chow, Ivan Lam and Joshua Wong
Photo: PETER PARKS / AFP
Joshua Wong had been threatened with imprisonment for up to five years.
A Hong Kong court has now sentenced him to 13.5 months in prison.
The prominent activist of the democracy movement was accused of organizing an unauthorized protest.
At the start of the trial just over a week ago, Wong pleaded guilty to having organized a demonstration in front of police headquarters in the Wan Chai district on June 21 of the previous year.
His colleagues Ivan Lam and Agnes Chow also pleaded guilty.
Prior to the verdict, Wong had announced from pre-trial detention that it was a minor offense.
He and his colleagues are prepared to serve an immediate prison sentence.
He hoped that this would draw global attention to the Hong Kong judicial system, which Beijing was manipulating.
Worrying sign of restrictions on civil liberties
Observers had seen another worrying sign of massive restrictions on civil liberties by the police and state authorities in Hong Kong.
In 2019 there were mass protests in Hong Kong against the increasing influence of China for months.
The protesters regularly went outside police headquarters to request an independent investigation into police violence against opponents of the government.
More than 10,000 people were arrested during the protests.
Since then, the Hong Kong authorities have stepped up their crackdown on the democracy movement.
Since June, they can also fall back on a so-called security law passed by Beijing.
It allows the Hong Kong authorities to crack down on any activity they believe threatens China's national security.
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mfh / Reuters / dpa
