First two Hong Kong citizens charged under new law banning masks in protests
Moscow (Sputnik/UNI) Hong Kong authorities brought on Monday the first charges against two citizens under the recently enacted law prohibiting the wearing of masks during protests, media reported.
The ban was introduced on Friday, triggering a new wave of protests in Hong Kong. Persons who violate the ban may get up to a year in prison or be fined 25,000 Hong Kong dollars ($3,200).
According to the Hong Kong Free Press news outlet, the two protesters were an 18-year old man and a 38-year-old woman, both of whom were arrested early on Saturday in the Kwun Tong district.
The two were also charged with one count of unlawful assembly, the outlet added.
Both individuals posted bail and their cases have been postponed until November 18. They are not allowed to leave Hong Kong, must observe a curfew and report to police once a week.
The mass protests started in China's special administrative region in early June as a reaction to a highly unpopular bill that would have allowed people to be extradited to the mainland. The protests eventually escalated into violent confrontations between demonstrators and the police.
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