4 men sentenced to prison for rioting, illegal assembly at Hong Kong airport

HONG KONG, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Four men in Hong Kong involved in rioting or illegal assembly at the Hong Kong International Airport in 2019 were sentenced to imprisonment for 13 to 45 months by a local court on Wednesday.

Two of the men, who were earlier convicted of illegal assembly, were sentenced to 13 months in prison. The other two men, who had earlier pleaded guilty to rioting, were sentenced to 45 months in prison.

The judge said that the defendants' behavior seriously affected the operation of the airport, the reputation of Hong Kong and the willingness of tourists to visit Hong Kong.

On Aug. 13, 2019, a group of demonstrators illegally gathered at the Hong Kong International Airport, during which some blocked the road outside the departure hall of Terminal 1, seriously disrupting the normal operation of the airport.