Agnes Chow, the activist of the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong, was released from prison on Saturday, June 12, exactly two years after the major pro-democracy protests, an anniversary that put the former British colony under pressure.

Some 2,000 police officers have been placed on alert as calls for demonstrations have been launched on social networks to commemorate the protests.

The authorities, however, maintained a ban on demonstrations decided to fight the coronavirus pandemic, although only three new contaminations were identified last month.

Many pro-democracy activists have been arrested in recent months and protest is now criminalized by new repressive laws imposed by the Beijing government.

On Saturday, however, one of these arrested activists was released.

Agnes Chow, 24, has been released after spending seven months in prison for her role during the 2019 protests outside police headquarters.

This young woman is part of a generation of activists who cut their teeth in politics when they were teenagers, with previous pro-democracy movements like "the umbrella revolution" in 2014, and in 2019 became an inspiration for anyone who wants more democracy in Hong Kong.

Expected by several journalists on her release from prison, she however made no comment.

Two other well-known activists who were convicted along with her, Joshua Wong and Ivan Lam, are still in prison.

Joshua Wong, arguably the best known of these young activists, recently saw his sentence increased by a new conviction, for having called in 2020 to participate in the traditional rally on June 4 to mark the anniversary of the bloody crackdown in Tiananmen. in China in 1989. It took place last year despite the ban, officially due to the coronavirus epidemic.

The release of Agnes Chow comes two years to the day after the major demonstrations that had invaded the streets of the former British colony in defense of democracy.

On June 12, 2019, thousands of people surrounded the seat of the Hong Kong legislature in an attempt to prevent the passage of a law favoring extraditions, including of opponents, to mainland China. 

Prohibited events

The brutal dispersal of these demonstrators by the police did not prevent a strong mobilization in favor of democracy for more than seven months.

The Chinese authorities refused to give in and imposed on Hong Kong a so-called national security law, which allowed the arrest of more than a hundred people, including Agnes Chow.

Dozens of them have been brought to justice, including Hong Kong press mogul Jimmy Lai.

Most have not been granted bail and face life sentences if they stand trial.

Demonstrations are now almost all banned but birthdays, like Saturday's, remain moments of tension.

On Friday, two activists from a pro-democracy group were arrested after being accused of calling for a banned rally.

Authorities last week again banned the Tiananmen Square crackdown commemorating rally, and this time police blocked all access to Victoria Park, where the candlelight vigil has been held annually for 32 years.

Although they could not enter the park, many Hong Kong people did not give up protesting by lighting candles or the light of their cell phones, in the adjacent streets and throughout the city.

With AFP

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