Nathan Law, a student leader of Hong Kong's mass 'Umbrella Revolution' democracy rallies two years ago, is now at the forefront of a new guard of young lawmakers pushing for autonomy from China.

In the biggest polls since the 2014 protests made Law a household name in Hong Kong, the 23-year-old entered the legislature with a convincing victory, gaining more than 50,000 votes.

He becomes the youngest lawmaker to win a seat in the Legislative Council (LegCo) in this year's vote.

Law was representing new party Demosisto -- which he founded with fellow Umbrella Movement leader Joshua Wong -- calling for Hong Kong people to have the right to vote in a referendum on independence from Beijing.

Britain in 1997 handed the city back to China under a "one country, two systems" agreement, with its rights and freedoms guaranteed for 50 years under a semi-autonomous system.

But fears are growing that Beijing is tightening its grip and that those liberties are being eroded.

Law has pledged to push his party's self-determination message from the start in LegCo, the city's lawmaking body.

"People are voting (for) a new way and a new future for the democratic movement," he said after his win.

"I'm bearing the trust and support of many people. It motivates me to do better."

In an interview with AFP, Law cast himself as a bridge to unite the factions of the democratic camp, which is split between established parties wary of a pro-independence message and new activists who want more autonomy.

University student Law, who is reading cultural studies, rose to prominence during the 2014 rallies, delivering speeches to tens of thousands who protested on the streets and meeting government officials in what were ultimately fruitless negotiations.

After the failure of the Umbrella Movement to win political reform, morale in the pro-democracy camp waned, with Law and Wong in and out of court on protest-related charges.

Law was last month convicted of inciting people to join an unlawful assembly, but escaped jail time with a community service sentence.

His election is a validation of the 2014 rallies, says Law, one of at least four young campaigners who are calling for more distance from Beijing to win a LegCo seat.

"There are a lot more people coming out to vote because they see new choice," Law said.

"We inherited some spirit from the (Umbrella) Movement and I hope that that can continue in the future." </s> Three young leaders of the democratic movement in Hong Kong were sentenced to prison for six to eight months on Thursday, Reuters reported. While 20-year-old Joshua Wong was jailed for six months, Nathan Law was given eight-months prison time and Alex Chow received seven months in prison.

The three were found guilty of unlawful assembly last year, after which they were sentenced to community service. However, the Hong Kong Department of Justice had applied for a review, arguing that the punishment was too lenient.

Wong, Law and Chow have also been barred from participating in local elections in the next five years. The order is a blow to the semi-autonomous city’s struggle for larger political freedom from China and suffrage.

Wong became a prominent face of the student-led democracy movement when he was 17, Reuters reported. Law, who had become Hong Kong’s youngest ever elected legislator, was sacked from his seat last month. Wong spearheaded the “Umbrella Movement”, gathering thousands of protestors, demanding democracy.

Following the verdict, Wong tweeted, “Imprisoning us will not extinguish Hongkonger’s desire for universal suffrage. We are stronger, more determined, and we will win.” </s> The three Umbrella Movement leaders jailed Thursday in Hong Kong were at the forefront of the 2014 pro-democracy rallies which brought parts of Hong Kong to a standstill for months in an unprecedented rebuke to Beijing.

Joshua Wong, Nathan Law and Alex Chow were sentenced to six to eight months in prison for their role in a protest that sparked the mass demonstrations.

Rights groups and supporters called the case against them "political persecution" and their imprisonment comes as a fresh blow to forces pushing for political reform in the semi-autonomous city.

Here we look at the three activists' stories.

Scrawny, with gaunt features and a studious frown, the bespectacled 20-year-old activist is now one of Hong Kong's highest profile prisoners.

Wong was the unlikely hero who led a movement inspiring hundreds of thousands to call for fully free elections for Hong Kong in 2014.

Then just 17, he spearheaded the mass Umbrella Movement protests, which were a reaction to restrictions from Beijing on how Hong Kong's next leader would be chosen.

Wong captured the attention of the world as David against the Goliath of the Chinese Communist Party, and was hailed as one of the world's most influential figures by Time, Fortune and Foreign Policy magazines. He even became the subject of Netflix documentary "Teenager vs Superpower", released this year.

A student at the Open University of Hong Kong, Wong told AFP he was mentally prepared for a jail sentence and would continue to study behind bars, but felt "guilty and sorry" about what he had put his loved ones through.

Born to middle-class Christian parents Grace and Roger Wong, he began his life of activism aged 13 with a protest against plans for a high-speed rail link between Hong Kong and the mainland.

At the age of just 14, Wong campaigned successfully for Hong Kong to drop a pro-China "National Education" program, rallying a crowd of 120,000 to his cause.

Since the end of the Umbrella Movement, he has been denied entry into Malaysia and Thailand, attacked in the street, and abused by pro-China protesters in Taiwan. But he has said he will fight on.

In one of his last public speeches before his jailing, Wong declared: "I hope that nobody gives up hope on Hong Kong, we can still win."

Softly spoken 24-year-old Nathan Law often stood beside Wong as they addressed protest crowds camped out in Hong Kong during the Umbrella Movement.

The two went on to found pro-democracy party Demosisto, which campaigns for Hong Kong people to have the right to self-determination over their future sovereignty.

Law became the youngest lawmaker ever elected to Hong Kong's legislature last September after winning 50,000 public votes.

But in July, he was disqualified by Hong Kong's High Court for changing his oath of office during his swearing in to reflect his frustrations with Chinese authorities.

Law quoted Gandhi before taking his pledge, saying: "You will never imprison my mind", and used intonation to make his oath sound like a question.

He was barred after Beijing intervened to insist pledges were take in a "solemn and sincere" manner.

Born in mainland China to a working class family, Law moved to Hong Kong at the age of six where he thought of becoming a journalist or an actor.

But a lightbulb moment at a school assembly critical of the late Chinese Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo agitated him and set his course.

At university he became involved in student politics before he was catapulted into the spotlight in 2014.

Law captures the quieter moments of his life with pictures and videos of his cats on Instagram.

Along with Wong and Law, Chow, now 26, was also at the forefront of the mass protests in 2014, as one of the main organisers of the movement.

He was adamant that student protesters should not compromise on their demands for fully free elections.

Ultimately their calls for change fell on deaf ears as Hong Kong and Beijing authorities gave no concessions.

Chow spoke of the high pressure he was under from his parents, who he described as pro-establishment moderates, during the months-long movement and afterwards stepped out of the limelight to concentrate on his studies.

A day ahead of his jailing he told AFP he was not scared.

"When we are willing to sacrifice what we have, there is nothing to fear," he said.

Chow added that he had deferred his masters dissertation at the London School of Economics and planned to defer his enrolment into a doctorate programme in geography at the prestigious Berkeley university in California as he prepared for prison. </s> Nearly two years ago, young students boycotted classes and began a mass civil disobedience movement in downtown Hong Kong to protest against a controversial electoral reform bill.

For 79 days, thousands of Hong Kong residents took to the streets blocking roads and shutting down key areas of one of the world’s major financial centres.

Protesters were beaten, pepper-sprayed and tear-gassed by police during what is known as Hong Kong’s Umbrella Revolution, named after the way demonstrators used umbrellas to protect themselves from police pepper spray.

The pro-democracy movement fizzled after the Hong Kong government and China refused to allow any real concessions for a full election in 2017.

READ MORE: Hong Kong - At the heart of Occupy Central

Nathan Law Kwun-chung, 23, was one of the student leaders of the Umbrella Revolution and a key figure in the 2014 pro-democracy movement.

In April, he founded the Demosisto party with another prominent former protest leader Joshua Wong.

His party is calling for independence from China and a referendum on Hong Kong's sovereignty in 2047.

On Monday, in the first major, city-wide, legislative council election since the Umbrella Movement, several young, pro-independence candidates were elected.

Law was one of them.

Al Jazeera spoke to Law who has become the youngest legislator in Hong Kong's history.

Al Jazeera: Tell us about your campaign and why you think you won?

Law: I believe the people of Hong Kong were looking for a new voice in the electoral system who can uphold the different voices of the democratic movement. I think the elections reflect that.

WATCH our three part series Hong Kong: Occupy Central

Al Jazeera: You are Hong Kong's youngest politician. Do you think you have the experience to carry that voice?

Law: For the past few months and few weeks during the campaigning I have performed well and have proved myself to those who were questioning my abilities. I have convinced them of what I can do.

Age is a factor that is not affecting my performance.

For the past two years, I have been fighting against the Communist Party as part of the Umbrella Movement. I was the core organiser of that protest. I will be one of the few in the legislative council with that kind of experience in terms of that framework. I am perfect for that.

Al Jazeera: What will be your agenda?

Law: The problem with the Hong Kong situation ... it is completely different to talk about it in daily life or during campaigning and putting it on the agenda. Talking about Hong Kong's self-determination is one of the main things I want to talk about and that will be at the core of my job.

Al Jazeera: How are you going to be different from others? What can you bring to your constituency and the people?

Law: For the past two years I have been involved in the citizen's movement. I am keen on continuing that. I would sacrifice myself to make my target happen. It is with that experience that I would bring changes to the system. I think ... during this election, because of our movement, people came to us and supported us, and that influence will continue in the future.

READ MORE: Hong Kong votes in first major election since protests

Al Jazeera: What does the road ahead for you and your party hold?

Law: We need time to digest and assess first and see how we can bring changes and push for the self-determination movement. How can we arouse public debate and discussion?

Al Jazeera: Is this a fantasy?

Law: No, we have to accumulate our power. It is not difficult to understand what we want. There is always hope. People need to realise the desire for Hong Kong's residents to decide their own future.

Al Jazeera: Will you be pushing for change in the current electoral system, and how?

Law: Definitely, we want electoral change in our system. That is the basis of democracy. We want to change that and we should do it together.

Al Jazeera: What kind of message do you think these elections have sent to Beijing?

Law: I think Beijing is worried about what happened today, that we have a new voice of resistance. They are worried about that.

Al Jazeera: How will you unite the fractured democratic camp?

Law: I know there is a lot of fragmentation in the camp but I believe as individuals we need to search for cooperation. That is what I want to do.

We recognise that there have been ups and downs in the movement. We understood that we need to have representation in the electoral system. We need to have steady political influence on the society. That is why we needed to involve ourselves in politics. </s> HONG KONG: Student activist Joshua Wong has been sentenced to six months’ jail over his role in the 2014 pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.

Wong, 20, was on Thursday (Aug 17) sentenced alongside former Umbrella Movement leaders Alex Chow and Nathan Law who were jailed seven months and eight months respectively.

Twenty-four-year-old Law, the youngest democratically elected lawmaker was expelled from office last month. This was after a court ruled that his oath of office, taken nearly a year ago, was invalid because he had added words and adopted a tone of voice that "disrespected" China as the sovereign power.

Wong remained defiant after sentencing. "Imprisoning us will not extinguish Hongkongers' desire for universal suffrage," he wrote in a Tweet.

Wong had originally been sentenced to 80 hours of community service for illegal assembly for his role in the 2014 Occupy protests, but prosecutors appealed and sought a jail term. </s> HONG KONG: Student activist Joshua Wong has been sentenced to six months’ jail for his role in the 2014 pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.

Also sentenced on Thursday (Aug 17) for unlawful assembly were former Umbrella Movement leaders Alex Chow and Nathan Law who were jailed seven months and eight months respectively.

Wong, 20, was the face of Hong Kong's months-long Occupy protests which brought parts of the city to a standstill, as demonstrators called for fully free leadership elections. 



Wong and Law received community sentences and Chow a three-week suspended sentence at magistrates' court last August. But the justice department appealed to overturn those terms and successfully sought jail sentences.



Remaining defiant after sentencing, Wong tweeted: "Imprisoning us will not extinguish Hongkongers' desire for universal suffrage."

"We want democracy in Hong Kong and we will not give up," he added. "See you soon."

Law, 24, was the youngest democratically elected lawmaker. However, he was expelled from office last month, after a court ruled that his oath of office, taken nearly a year ago, was invalid because he had added words and adopted a tone of voice that "disrespected" China as the sovereign power. </s> Tensions were high as pro-democracy parties sought to maintain a majority of democratically elected seats in the Legislative Council that allows them to block certain legislation.

People were still voting at some polling stations at 2 a.m. local time Monday morning, three and half hours after the 10:30 p.m. deadline. The poll is the first major election since the financial center was rocked by pro-democracy street protests in 2014 -- also known as the "Umbrella Revolution."

More than 2.2 million people voted, according to the Electoral Affairs Commission, with a turnout of 58% -- up from 53% in 2012. Hong Kong does not permit postal voting or early voting.

suggest that a younger generation of more radical, pro-democracy politicians won a larger-than-expected share of votes. suggest that a younger generation of more radical, pro-democracy politicians won a larger-than-expected share of votes. Preliminary results suggest that a younger generation of more radical, pro-democracy politicians won a larger-than-expected share of votes. Nathan Law, one of the student leaders of the 2014 Umbrella Movement, has been elected on Hong Kong Island, according to preliminary results. His constituency elects six seats and he is currently in second place, with 90% of votes counted. Law co-founded Demosisto with activist Joshua Wong , who was unable to run as he is not yet 21. Law, 23, will be Hong Kong's youngest ever lawmaker. Speaking Sunday before the results, Wong told CNN he hoped the election would prove to be "fair." He said Hong Kong has faced an uptick in "political censorship" and the "suppression or interference with autonomy" since the 2014 protests. Other young former Umbrella Movement protesters also look set to win seats. Including Youngspirations' Sixtus Baggio Leung, who was endorsed by pro-independence activist Edward Leung. The latter Leung was one of several candidates controversially blocked from standing in this year's election Another Youngspiration candidate, Yau Wai-ching, is in a tight contest in the Kowloon West constituency. Should she win, all six lawmakers elected there will be women. Voters defied early predictions that turnout would be lower, with 400,000 more people voting than in 2012. Lines stretched around the block in certain districts, as many complained online of poorly staffed polling stations. In Tai Koo, on Hong Kong Island, voters were still lining up as of 2 a.m. local time Monday. Others went out of their way to ensure they would be able to take part. Post-graduate student Deryck Chan, 25, flew back from the UK to cast his vote. "I made sure to book my leave to coincide with the elections," he told CNN. </s> HONG KONG: A new generation of young Hong Kong politicians advocating a break from Beijing looked set to become lawmakers for the first time Monday in the biggest poll since mass pro-democracy rallies in 2014.

A record 2.2 million people voted in the city-wide legislative election which ended in the early hours of Monday and saw activists who support Hong Kong’s independence from China standing for the first time.

It comes as fears grow that Beijing is tightening its grip on the semi-autonomous city in a range of areas, from politics to education and media.

In a landmark victory, at least three of a handful of young campaigners calling for much more distance from Beijing were forecast to win seats with 90 percent of the vote counted.

Among them is Nathan Law, 23, leader of the 2014 “Umbrella Movement” rallies, who is guaranteed a seat after coming second in his constituency behind a pro-Beijing candidate.

Law and his new party Demosisto are calling for a referendum on independence, emphasising Hong Kongers’ right to choose.

“I think Hong Kongers really wanted change,” Law said, celebrating his win.

“Young people have a sense of urgency when it comes to the future.”

Law will now take up a seat in the Legislative Council (LegCo), Hong Kong’s lawmaking body.

Most established pro-democracy politicians do not support the notion of independence and there were concerns in the democratic camp that new activists would split the vote, triggering overall losses.

If the democrats lose four seats, they will forfeit the one-third voting bloc they need to veto bills, stacking the already skewed legislature even more in favour of Beijing.

However, early results showed the democrats are likely to hold on to that veto power.

Beijing bias

 It is as good a result as the democrats could hope for, given that the framework of LegCo favours Beijing.

The structure of the council makes it almost impossible for the democracy camp to take a majority as 30 of the council’s 70 seats are elected by special interest groups representing a range of businesses and social sectors. Those seats go predominantly to pro-Beijing candidates.

Fears that Hong Kong’s freedoms are disappearing were fanned after five city booksellers known for salacious titles about Beijing politicians disappeared, resurfacing in detention on the mainland.

That fuelled the fire of the “localist” movement, which grew out of the failure of the 2014 rallies to win political reform pushing for more distance from Beijing.

It saw the emergence of young campaigners demanding outright independence for Hong Kong —a subject previously taboo.

Hong Kong was handed back to China by Britain in 1997 under a “one country, two systems” agreement intended to protect its freedoms and partial autonomy for 50 years. However, many young campaigners believe that deal has failed.

Pro-democracy campaigners with megaphones urged voters to get to the polls Sunday to prevent the LegCo swinging further towards Beijing.

At some polling stations there were snaking queues until until 2:30 am (1830 Sunday GMT) — four hours later than the scheduled cut-off time — with a turnout of almost 60 percent of 3.7 million voters.

That compares with 53 percent in the last LegCo elections in 2012. </s> Student Nathan Law (centre) who helped lead the 2014 protests, celebrates after winning a seat at the legislative council elections in Hong Kong, on Monday (AP photo)

HONG KONG — Several pro-independence candidates won seats in Hong Kong's first major election since pro-democracy protests in 2014, prompting a robust warning from China that any independence would damage the city's security and prosperity.

In comments carried by the official Xinhua news agency, China's Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office said it "resolutely opposed" any form of independence for Hong Kong, noting this would violate China's constitution.

The election of a new generation of pro-democracy activists in a record turnout in Chinese-controlled Hong Kong on Sunday underscores a deep divide in a city of more than 7 million people where tensions with Beijing are intensifying.

China bristles at open dissent, especially over sensitive matters such as demands for universal suffrage, and many in Hong Kong are increasingly concerned about what they see as Beijing's meddling in the city's affairs.

In the election, the pro-democracy opposition also kept its crucial one-third veto bloc in the 70-seat Legislative Council over major laws and public funding that has helped check China's influence.

The vote, which ushered in a new crop of legislators including a 23-year-old former protest leader who vowed to "fight" the Chinese Communist Party, underscores growing frustration with how Beijing has handled its "special administrative region" and marks a significant turning point.

The former British colony was handed back to China in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" agreement that promised to maintain the global financial hub's freedoms and separate laws for at least 50 years, but gave ultimate control to Beijing.

Beijing officials have repeatedly warned Hong Kong not to stray too far.

Despite the disqualification of six pro-democracy election candidates from the election in July on the grounds that they backed independence, at least five "localists" and younger democratic newcomers won seats, including Nathan Law, one of the leaders of mass democracy protests in 2014.

Those protests posed one of the greatest challenges to Beijing's rule in decades and were deemed illegal by the local government in Hong Kong and the central government in Beijing.

Localists put the interests of Hong Kong before those of Beijing.

"I'm quite shocked," said Law. "We inherit some spirit from the movement and I hope that can continue in the future... We still have to unite in order to have stronger power to fight the Chinese Communist Party."

Sunday's vote was the first major election since the 2014 student-led "Umbrella Revolution" protests that blocked roads for 79 days.

Since then, many disaffected youngsters have decried what they see as increasing Beijing interference stifling dissent and civil liberties, leading to a radicalisation of the political scene and occasional violent protests.

Several veteran democrats lost their seats, as voters backed a new batch of younger candidates espousing self-determination and a more confrontational stance with China.

"It's a new era," said Lee Cheuk-yan, a democratic lawmaker who lost his seat after more than two decades in public office.

"People want change, change meaning that they want new faces... but the price is a further fragmentation [of the democracy camp]. Ideologically they're talking about independence and they want to assert themselves."

Hong Kong Secretary for Constitutional Affairs Raymond Tam said the government would do its best to "bring them around to a more centrist position".

"But it's too early to say if this will be an issue," he said.

Pro-establishment lawmakers like Elizabeth Quat said she hoped the issue of splitting from China wouldn't enter the legislature or it could damage Hong Kong's economic interests.

"Independence is not realistic at all," she said. "Hopefully this will not be their main objective."

Voters flocked to cast ballots in record numbers with some having to wait several hours after polls closed, leading to some delays in vote counting on Monday.

"Hong Kong is really chaotic now. I want to do something to help," said 28-year-old Maicy Leung, who was in a snaking queue of several hundred. "It's to help the next generation and to help myself."

The Electoral Affairs Commission said 58 per cent of an eligible 3.8 million voters had cast their ballot, up from 53 per cent in 2012 and the highest legislative election turnout since 1997.
Nathan Law becomes the youngest-ever Hong Kong legislator at age 23.