Two plead guilty as leading Hong Kong activists go on trial by Alice Fung, The Associated Press Posted Feb 15, 2021 11:17 pm EDT Last Updated Feb 15, 2021 at 11:28 pm EDT Pro-democracy lawmaker Martin Lee arrives at a court in Hong Kong Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021. Nine prominent Hong Kong's democracy advocates faced trial Tuesday on charges of organizing an unauthorized assembly in August 2019. Among the defendants veteran octogenarian lawyer and dubbed Hong Kong's "father of democracy" Lee and media tycoon Jimmy Lai. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu) HONG KONG — Two Hong Kong democracy activists pleaded guilty Tuesday to organizing or participating in an illegal assembly during massive anti-government protests in 2019.