Independence leader Edward Leung jailed for six years in Hong Kong

Edward Leung, an independence activist in Hong Kong, has been jailed for six years for taking part in the violent demonstrations of February 2016. Previously he has also pleaded guilty to assaulting a police officer. Leung is the former convener of pro-independence political group Hong Kong Indigenous. He has also been sentenced to 12 months in jail for assaulting the police officer. Both the sentences will be served simultaneously meaning he will be in jail for up to six years. During the Hong Kong's Fishball Revolution, clashes between the citizens and the police erupted on the night of February 8, 2016. The riots resulted in the aftermath of the attempts made by the authorities to shut down a local food market during the Lunar New Year holiday. The term "Fishball" was used after a popular food sold at the market. The food market was located in the shopping district of Mong Kok. During the riots, protesters threw bottles and bricks at the police which responded with pepper spray and batons.  

The protesters were viewed as the result of the frustration caused by the failure of the pro-democracy "Umbrella Movement" that failed due to its peaceful nature. Along with Leung, seven police officers have been sentenced to 2 years in jail over beating the protesters. Joshua Wong, the leader of the Umbrella Movement, has called the sentence of Leung as the harshest one imposed on an opposition activist since 1997. Along with fellow activists Nathan Law and Alex Chow, Wong was sentenced to six months in jail for the involvement in the Umbrella Movement. Wong advocated for thedirect election of Hong Kong's Chief Executive in his Umbrella Movement; however, Leung went a step further and asked for a complete separation from China. According to Leung, as long as Hong Kong is under China, it cannot completely realize the essence of democracy and autonomy. In 2016, he was also banned from taking part in the city's Legislative Council elections over the fears that he would continue to perpetuate the independence rhetoric in Hong Kong.