The Court of Appeal of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) rejected the appeal of nine instigators of the illegal "Occupy Central" movement to overturn their convictions. The decision was announced on Friday. 

The group, includes Benny Tai Yiu-ting, a former professor at the University of Hong Kong, Chan Kin-man, a former sociology professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and former Legislative Council member Shiu Ka-chun.

Tai was sentenced to 16 months in prison after being convicted for offenses including incitement to committing public nuisances in April 2019. 

(Cover: Benny Tai Yiu-ting, a former professor at the University of Hong Kong, arrives at the Ma On Shan police station after being arrested in Hong Kong, China, January 6, 2021. /CFP)