HONG KONG—Derek Tai was arrested outside Hong Kong’s Legislative Council building last June, early in the city’s pro-democracy protests, which have seen millions join demonstrations over the past seven months.
Tai, a soft-spoken 21-year-old philosophy major, was one of the first protesters to be arrested. Five months later, he was charged with unlawful assembly, a crime that carries a sentence of up to three years in jail. In past cases, defendants have been sentenced to eight months.
