Hong Kong protest leaders avoid jail time for illegal rally

HONG KONG (AP) — Three Hong Kong student protest leaders have avoided prison time for leading or encouraging an illegal rally that sparked huge pro-democracy street protests two years ago.

A magistrate sentenced Joshua Wong, Nathan Law and Alex Chow to community service on Monday.

Nineteen-year-old Wong became the most high-profile leader of the protests that erupted in late September 2014, which marked the former British colony's most turbulent period since China took control in 1997.

Youthful protesters occupied key thoroughfares for 11 weeks to press demands for unrestricted elections for the city's top leader.

Wong and Law were found guilty last month of taking part in an unlawful assembly. Wong was given 120 hours of community service by Magistrate June Cheung while Law received 80 hours.

Chow, who was found guilty of inciting others to join an unlawful assembly, also received 120 hours of community service as well as a three-week prison sentence, suspended for a year.

The three were charged with storming into a fenced-off courtyard known as Civic Square beside Hong Kong's government complex on the evening of Friday Sept. 26, 2014, in a bid to protest Beijing's plan to restrict the elections.

They and dozens of other young activists were detained by police. In response, crowds of demonstrators flooded the area over the weekend to demand their release. Police responded late on Sunday Sept. 28 with dozens of volleys of teargas, a move that backfired and drove even more people on to the streets, kickstarting what became known as the Umbrella Movement protests.