Hong Kong: A leading Hong Kong democracy activist faced by the prison requested the civil cap campaign Mahatma Gandhi in court on Wednesday when he gave challenging speeches who defended his decision to take part in the prohibited vigil tiananmen.
Lee Cheuk-Yan was one of the eight pro-democracy figures in the court to join Vigil last year who had been banned by Hong Kong police for the first time in 31 years, citing Koronavirus and security fears.
Five defendants, including Lee, pleaded guilty to join the “unauthorized assembly”.
At the hearing of punishment on Wednesday, Lee compared the Hong Kong democracy movement to India’s struggle for the freedom from Colonial England.
“We are all followers of Gandhi’s ideas about struggle without violence, hoping to bring democratic reforms to Hong Kong,” he said, occasionally choking.
“Now I’m imprisoned when Gandhi, I will learn to be fearless like Gandhi.” Veteran activists say he “did not regret” about opposing police prohibitions.
“If I have to go to prison to confirm my wishes, so be it,” Lee said.
Lee, 64, was in Beijing during the crackdown of 1989 against democracy the demonstrators in Tianmanmen Square and became the leader of the Hong Kong Alliance – a group that organized a large vigil light candle in the city every June to remember those killed.
Over the years Hong Kong is the only place in China where what happened in 1989 can still be remembered publicly.