HONG KONG (AP) — A social worker who tried to mediate during the height of the 2019 anti-government protests in Hong Kong was convicted of rioting Tuesday in the latest case that signaled the tough stance the authorities have taken toward political cases.
Jackie Chen was part of a group of social workers who often carried a loudspeaker seeking to mediate between police and protesters during the social unrest. She was freed at her first trial in September 2020, but the secretary of justice appealed and a court ordered a retrial by another judge.
In the retrial, the prosecution accused Chen, who used a loudspeaker to ask police officers to calm down and not to use their guns to fire non-lethal bullets, of participating in a riot during a protest in August 2019. Chen pleaded not guilty.
Judge May Chung wrote in her verdict that Chen had continuously shouted unfounded accusations against the police and suggested the officers' actions involved the use of excessive force or were too rapid. Chen had used her social worker role, claiming to be “safeguarding justice," to back the protesters, the judge said.
Chung ruled that the only reasonable inference was that Chen intended to participate in the riot.
“Through the aforementioned means to gather together with other rioters, (she) thereby encouraged other rioters to commit acts that disturb social peace,” she wrote.
Ahead of the verdict hearing, Chen took group photos with her supporters and hugged some of them outside of the district court building. Chen told reporters that she felt peaceful because she had five years to prepare for this. Regardless of the outcome, she has no regrets, she said.
“I hope all the people I know — they will live healthy, they will live happy because we still have our road to walk along,” she said.
After the judge announced the decision, she shouted that she would be OK to her supporters sitting in the public gallery.
Chen is expected to be sentenced in April. The maximum sentence for rioting in Hong Kong is 10 years, but the sentences at the district court are capped at seven years.
Chen could also lose her license. Last year, the government introduced amendments to the law that would allow the removal of a social worker's name from the register if he or she has been convicted of an offense that is punishable with imprisonment and may bring the profession into disrepute.
Chen's case drew attention because of her mild role in the 2019 movement, which was the biggest challenge to the Hong Kong government since the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
The 2019 protests were sparked by a proposed extradition law that would have allowed criminal suspects in Hong Kong to be sent to the mainland for trial. The government withdrew the bill, but the protesters widened their demands to include direct elections for the city’s leaders and police accountability.
In response, Beijing imposed a national security law to quell the unrest. Under the law, many of the city's leading activists were prosecuted or convicted. Hong Kong government insists the law has restored the city's stability.
Hong Kong social worker Jackie Chen, second left in bottom row, pose for a photo with her supporters outside the District Court building in Wan Chai, Hong Kong ahead of her verdict hearing Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Kanis Leung)
Hong Kong social worker Jackie Chen stands in front of the District Court building in Wan Chai, Hong Kong for journalists to take photographs ahead of her verdict hearing Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Kanis Leung)
LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson left no uncertainty with his former team, the Detroit Lions, coming in Sunday to Soldier Field to close the regular season.
“We’re playing to win this week,” Johnson said on Monday.
Not that the Bears should be coasting yet, even against Johnson’s former boss Dan Campbell and a Lions team now out of the playoff chase. The Bears still have the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs to lock up with a win, and with it home field for the divisional round should they win their wild-card round playoff game at Soldier Field.
It will be difficult to do with defensive production like they had in Sunday night’s 42-38 loss at San Francisco.
Although they gave up a season-worst 496 yards, Johnson almost seemed to be trying to lift the confidence of the defense.
They did get a pick-6 on the game’s first play from scrimmage by linebacker T.J. Edwards, the first time this happened in an NFL game since Week 2 in 2023. They also forced the first punt by the 49ers since the end of November.
“It always comes back to fundamentals and so it’s gap integrity in terms of the run defense,” Johnson said of stopping the 49ers. “You know, we were playing a really good offense right now. So I think that needs to be stated because they’re averaging 35 points over the last five weeks. And so they’re hot.
“I didn’t feel like our offense did our part in the first half. We did not possess the ball. We had a couple three-and-outs. You look at our defense and they got a pick-6, they got a couple punts, and if we bow up in the red zone I think we feel better about (the defense’s) performance and that’s not to take anything away from San Fran, they did a great job, but there are certainly things fundamentally that we can improve on and we’re going to look to address this week.”
Maybe the most troubling aspect for the Bears was red zone defense.
Green Bay went 0-for-5 at scoring touchdowns in the red zone in Week 16. The 49ers went 5-for-5.
“Each week is a little bit different,” Johnson said. “Every offense has a different red zone story to them. They simply executed better than we did with their plan.”
They’ll hope to improve this plan Sunday or they could wind up with a third seed in the playoffs.
Passing. Caleb Williams’ 330 passing yards Sunday were a season high and the Bears accomplished this despite a foot injury that kept receiver Rome Odunze sidelined, and an illness that kept receiver Olamide Zaccheaus from playing. Their pass blocking held up despite tackle Darnell Wright playing with an illness that kept him from taking a Saturday flight with the team to California.
Wright flew in by himself on Sunday, the day of the game.
Run defense. They gave up 200 yards rushing, 8 more than when they struggled the previous week, and this looked much worse. Christian McCaffrey had runs of 41, 17 and 16 yards in a season’s best 140-yard effort, but the 49ers had been struggling to run all season. They came into the game averaging 3.6 yards per carry, which ranked next to last in the NFL.
WR Luther Burden. The rookie shook off an ankle injury that sidelined him against Green Bay and had career highs of eight receptions for 138 yards while also catching a TD pass. He only was on the field for 38 of the 66 offensive plays.
WR DJ Moore. He went from being the star against Green Bay with a spectacular 46-yard TD catch in tight coverage for the overtime win to making only one reception for 7 yards against San Francisco. In Moore’s defense, he was a late addition to the injury report with an illness sweeping through the team, but gutted out the game and participated in 92% of offensive plays.
Linebacker Noah Sewell suffered an Achilles tendon injury Sunday but Johnson did not update its severity. An NFL Network report said Sewell suffered a torn Achilles tendon. ... Defensive end Joe Tryon-Shoyinka is in the NFL concussion protocol.
23 — After Sunday’s game, Williams has 23 games in his career when he hasn’t thrown an interception. No starting NFL quarterback has done this in his first two NFL seasons. Williams broke the mark held by Dak Prescott of 22 games without one in his first two seasons.
The Bears try to avenge a 52-21 loss they had in Week 2 at Detroit against the Lions (8-8), who have lost three straight.
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San Francisco 49ers tight end Jake Tonges (88) runs against Chicago Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards (53) during the second half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)
San Francisco 49ers' Jauan Jennings scores go-ahead touchdown in 4th quarter against Chicago Bears during Niners' 42-38 win in NFL game at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (Scott Strazzante/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
