Activist Agnes Chow Again Denied Bail

Pro-democracy activist Agnes Chow has again been denied bail, as she returned to court a week after being jailed over a 2019 protest.

High Court judge Judianna Barnes said on Wednesday that she doesn't think Chow's appeal against her prison sentence has a reasonable chance of success.

Chow, 24, was given a 10-month jail term after pleading guilty to inciting people to join an unauthorised assembly outside police headquarters on June 21 last year, as well as taking part in the protest herself.

Her former Demosisto colleagues Joshua Wong and Ivan Lam were jailed alongside her, for 13.5 months and 7 months respectively.

Chow's defence had announced at the sentencing hearing at West Kowloon Magistracy last week that they planned to appeal, but their application for bail at the time was denied.

At the High Court on Wednesday, the defence outlined their grounds for appeal, including that the sentence was too high compared to similar cases and that Chow had not instigated any violence.

But Barnes rejected the bail request, dismissing Chow's chances of success in the appeal.

The judge added that she doesn't think it would be unfair for the activist to remain in prison until the appeal is heard in court, given that the jail sentence is not that short.