Hong Kong protests: student jailed for nearly 4 years for rioting, assaulting policeman, perjury

In 2019, a student named Tsang Chi-kin participated in anti-government protests in Hong Kong. During one of these protests, he was shot by a police officer. He was also involved in an attack on a police officer, where he and others used tools such as hammers, pliers, rods, and umbrellas. Tsang pleaded guilty to these charges and expressed remorse for his actions. As a result, the judge reduced his sentence. Initially, he was to serve 5½ years for the rioting charge and a year for the assault, but these were reduced to a total of three years and 11 months. In 2022, Tsang and three others attempted to flee Hong Kong by boat. They sought refuge at the United States consulate but were unsuccessful and were subsequently taken into custody. Despite his gunshot injury and depression, Tsang cooperated with the police following his arrest. He also wrote a letter to the court expressing his remorse. The judge, however, noted that the attack on the officer was serious and resulted in injuries. After Tsang's case was concluded, he was sentenced over a perjury charge, along with Ansen Wong, Alex Wong Chun-yin, and Yip Ho. Yip admitted to securing hideouts for the other three, who had also been charged with rioting. He claimed to work for a YouTube channel that supported the three fugitives. The channel's owner requested the trio to film themselves for crowdfunding purposes. Yip tried to convince the others to turn themselves in, but they refused. The judge stated that Yip had wrongly assisted the fugitives. Even though there was no evidence of Yip receiving any financial benefit or being the mastermind of the escape plan, the judge said his culpability was higher than the rest. Yip was sentenced to 20 months in jail. The protests were triggered by the government's attempt to introduce an extradition bill that would have allowed suspects to be tried in mainland China.