Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying is taken under police escort to the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts for trial, in Hong Kong, Dec 12, 2020. (PHOTO/XINHUA)

HONG KONG - Local media tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying was sentenced by a Hong Kong court to 14 months in prison for organizing and participating in illegal assemblies on Aug 18 and 31, 2019. Nine former legislators also received prison terms for their role in the earlier illegal assembly.

Lai was sent to prison immediately after the ruling.

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Jimmy Lam also still faces charges of fraud and collusion with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security, in violation of the city’s National Security Law. The cases were adjourned to May 6 and June 15 respectively

On June 11, Lai will go on trial for another illegal-assembly charge over an unauthorized rally on June 4, 2020.

He also still faces charges of fraud and collusion with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security, in violation of the city’s National Security Law. The cases were adjourned to May 6 and June 15 respectively.

Also on Friday, six former opposition legislators were sentenced to prison terms ranging from eight to 18 months for organizing and participating in the Aug 18 illegal assembly. The six are Martin Lee Chu-ming, Margaret Ng Ngoi-yee, Leung Kwok-hung, Ho Sau-lan, Albert Ho Chun-yan, and Au Nok-hin. Lee, Ng, and Albert Ho were given suspended sentences.

Another defendant in the same case, ex-lawmaker Leung Yiu-chung, received an eight-month sentence for participating in the same assembly.

District Court Judge Amanda Woodcock, who presided over the case related to the Aug 18 illegal assembly, said, “Actions have consequence to everyone in spite of who they are.”

READ MORE: Jimmy Lai, 23 others stand trial for illegal assembly

On Friday afternoon, Labour Party Vice-Chairman and former legislator Lee Cheuk-yan was sentenced to 14 months for his roles in the two illegal assemblies.

Former legislator Yeung Sum, another defendant to the Aug 31 assembly case, was sentenced to eight months’ imprisonment, suspended for a year.