Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong says he may be imprisoned again soon but will continue the fight for democracy.
Wong, the secretary-general of the Demosisto Party, served 69 days in prison until he was released on bail on Tuesday. He walked out of the Court of Final Appeal at 4pm, alongside fellow activist and former Demosisto lawmaker Nathan Law.
The court will hear their application for leave of appeal on November 7. Wong said he was uncertain as to whether the appeal would lead to a reduction in his sentence. He is set to face another sentencing for criminal contempt of court – to which he pleaded guilty – for the Mong Kok Occupy protest clearance in 2014.
“Although I obtained temporary freedom, there is a chance that I will go to jail again this year,” he said. “Regardless, we will face suppression under the authoritarian regime calmly.”
Wong and Law were sentenced to six and seven months in jail respectively in August by the Court of Appeal over their participation in the Civic Square clashes that led to the 2014 Occupy protests.
“This may not be the first time we go to jail, there may be more young people going to jail in the future – but we will press on with our beliefs and fight together on the path to democracy.”
Wong said he hoped to use his two weeks of freedom to spend more time with his family.
“At the same time, Demosisto will use the time to plan for the Hong Kong Island area by-election,” he said. Law, the party’s former legislator, was disqualified by the court in July.
“We will use our methods, with our determination, to retake our lost seat,” Wong added.
Wong said he did not regret participating in the Umbrella Movement demonstrations. The duo, along with fellow activist Alex Chow, were all jailed on unlawful assembly charges. Although Wong and Law served community service orders last year, the government successfully won a sentence review.
Judges hearing the appeal voiced concern about the safety of government security guards and use of violence, sending them to jail.
Wong said they will carry on using non-violence means during their protests.
Meanwhile, Law said the government was using legal means as a tool to curb civil movements. He added that they will do more work with civil society.
Asked about their plans for their evening, they said they will have family dinners first: “We told each other that we have been seeing each other too much, we should spend more time with family,” Law said.
“I will try to catch up with the news more comprehensively,” Wong said. There is a limited access to news in prisons.
Wong turned 21 whilst imprisoned and was transferred to an adult institution. He said the prison system forces inmates to follow orders and suppresses independent thinking: “I hope to continue to monitor the rights of teenage inmates.”
