Hong Kong student leaders turn themselves in
January 16, 2015
Joshua Wong, 18, reported to police headquarters in Hong Kong with three other members of his student group on Friday. Authorities had ordered their appearance in connection with a probe into mass protests in Hong Kong which they consider illegal.
"I'm worried the police will try to abuse their power but I still respect the law system in Hong Kong," Wong said outside the station before he handed himself in.
At the same time "the police arrests will just motivate more secondary school or university students to come to the streets," he added.
Fear of arrest 'worth it'
Wong already appeared in court last week for a preliminary hearing on possible criminal contempt charges for blocking the police clearance of one of the main protest camps in November. However, at that point no formal charges had been made.
Student leader Agnes Chow said she had been "scared" when she got the call from police. "But when we think about the things we did, it was to push for a democratic system in Hong Kong, so we think it is worth it."
Oscar Lai, Agnes Chow and Derek Lam were charged and released about two hours after they reported to police, according to student group Scholarism's official Facebook page. Hong Kong police charged three student leaders on Friday with inciting others to join illegal assemblies.
Umbrella movement
Police have vowed to investigate the "principal instigators" of protests for fully free leadership elections that lasted more than two months and brought parts of the city to a standstill before rally camps were cleared in December.
The movement and its youthful leaders gained an initial surge in public support when police unleashed dozens of tear gas rounds against protesters that caught the world's attention. Some protesters used umbrellas to protect themselves, giving the movement a nickname.
Protesters want to put a stop to Beijing's requirement that all candidates in the 2017 inaugural elections for top leader first be screened by a Beijing-friendly panel. However, the government's refusal to act on these demands has caused the movement to lose steam.
jil/kms (AP, AFP, Reuters)