The BBC reports that Joshua Wong, Agnes Chow and Ivan Lam, the top pro-democracy leaders in China’s semi-autonomous region of Hong Kong, have been jailed for their involvement in last year’s protests.

According to the BBC, the court on Tuesday sentenced the three leading pro-democracy leaders in Hong Kong to life in prison for organizing and participating in illegal rallies.

The whole of Hong Kong was engulfed in anti-China protests. But the protests have stalled since the mainland Chinese government enacted a controversial national security law for Hong Kong with harsh penalties.

However, Joshua Wong, the top pro-democracy leader, and two others are thought to have escaped possible life sentences because the crime was committed before the so-called National Security Act came into force.

As a result, the court sentenced Joshua Ong to 13-and-a-half months, Agnes Chowk to 10 months and Evan Lam to seven months in prison for threatening national security. The three Hong Kong activists were in remand until today’s verdict; The main accused, Joshua Wong, was held in solitary confinement, the BBC reported.

The three activists were sentenced to various terms of imprisonment by a court in June last year for illegally organizing and participating in a rally near the Hong Kong police headquarters.