Ten Hong Kong protesters who were captured at sea by Chinese officials while attempting to flee the city were sentenced to up to three years in jail in mainland China in a case that has sparked international concern over Beijing’s crackdown on activists in the territory.
The group was convicted by a court in Shenzhen of violating border restrictions and sentenced for “organising other persons to secretly cross the border” and “secretly crossing the border”. They were arrested by the Chinese coast guard in August while attempting to reach Taiwan by speedboat.
The ten, who were aged between 18 and 33 at the time of the arrest, were also fined amounts ranging from Rmb10,000 to Rmb20,000 ($1,533-3,066).
Two other members of the group, who were aged 16 and 17 at the time of the arrest, were not put on trial and have been sent back to Hong Kong after confessing, Shenzhen police said in a separate statement.
The individuals faced a range of charges in Hong Kong…