Trial begins of 13 over 2019 storming of city legislature

A court has begun the trial of 13 people over the storming and ransacking of the city’s legislature in 2019, which was an unprecedented challenge to the Beijing-backed government.

It was the most violent episode in the initial phase of huge prodemocracy protests that shook the city, with millions marching and staging sit-ins for weeks.

Hundreds of protesters broke into the legislature on the night of 1 July 2019 – the 22nd anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover from Britain to China – smashing windows and spraying graffiti.

The 13 defendants who went on trial on Monday were charged with rioting, an offence that can be punished by up to 10 years in jail.

Seven pleaded guilty to that charge when proceedings began at a Hong Kong district court and the prosecution shelved the additional charges against them.

The six who have not entered a guilty plea for rioting are facing additional charges of unlawful entry and “criminal damage”, which carry a maximum penalty of life in prison. Their trial is expected to run for 44 days.