A court in Hong Kong has handed down prison sentences of up to 16 months to eight leaders of the major 2014 pro-democracy protests after they were found guilty of public nuisance offences.

The sentences are seen as an effort by the government of the semi-autonomous Chinese territory to draw a line under the protests amid pressure from Beijing.

Ranging in age from their 30s to 70s, the nine defendants span generations of Hong Kong citizens who have been agitating for full democracy. They had all pleaded not guilty, calling the prosecutions politically motivated.

Three protest leaders were jailed for 16 months, with one having the sentence suspended for two years, two were jailed for eights months and two were given eight-month suspended sentences.

Hong Kong Umbrella Movement Trial
Occupy Central leaders, from left, Tanya Chan, Chan Kin-man and Lee Wing-tat chant before entering the court (Kin Cheung/AP)

Another was ordered to perform 200 hours of community service while the ninth defendant, Tanya Chan, had her sentencing postponed because she needs to have surgery.

It was not immediately clear if they planned to appeal.

“Thank you for the sentencing,” Raphael Wong, who was jailed for eight months, told Judge Johnny Chan.

“Our determination on fighting for genuine universal suffrage will not change.”

While the charges carried potential sentences of up to seven years, they were still seen as unusually harsh by activists in what they called an attempt to intimidate them into silence.

“The long sentences send a chilling warning to all that there will be serious consequences for advocating for democracy,” Maya Wang, Hong Kong-based chief researcher for China at Human Rights Watch said.

“The Beijing and Hong Kong authorities appear intent on eliminating the only pocket of freedoms on Chinese soil,” Ms Wang said.

She cited a law against booing the Chinese national anthem and moves to amend the extradition law that could see suspects sent to China where she said they would be unlikely to receive a fair trial.

Taiwan Hong Kong Umbrella Movement Trial
Taiwanese supporters show slogans and yellow umbrellas to support the nine Hong Kong pro-democracy leaders (Chiang Ying-ying/AP)

Supporters and family members applauded the defendants as they entered the courtroom, then stood outside sobbing after the hearing before breaking into chants.

Those convicted included law professor Benny Tai, retired sociology professor Chan Kin-man and pastor Chu Yiu-ming, who all received 16 months in jail, although Chu’s was suspended for two years. The others include two current and one former lawmaker, two student leaders and a political activist.

Chan, who will be sentenced June 10, said before the hearing that she hadn’t lost faith in what the movement stood for.

“Although it’s an uphill battle, it’s not easy, it’s time for us to make sure that we are strong enough to face different kind of challenges,” she said.

The nine were leaders of the “Occupy Central” campaign, which was organised as a nonviolent sit-in that became known as the “Umbrella Movement” after a symbol of defiance against police adopted by the street protests.

Protesters demanded the right to freely nominate candidates for Hong Kong’s leader who would then be elected by all of the territory’s roughly 5 million voters.

However, they failed to win any concessions from the government, and Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam was chosen in 2017 from among a slate of candidates approved by Beijing and elected by a 1,200-member pro-China electoral body.

Hong Kong, a former British colony, was handed over to Chinese rule in 1997 under an agreement in which China promised the city could retain its own laws, economic system and civil rights for 50 years.

However, Chinese President and Communist Party leader Xi Jinping has been seen as extending his crackdown on civil liberties to Hong Kong, drawing criticism from commercial and legal associations as well as political, human rights and media groups.