LONDON (Reuters) - Britain said on Thursday it was vital Hong Kong’s young people have a voice in politics and it hoped the decision of a court in the former British colony to jail three young democracy leaders would not discourage legitimate protest in future.

A Hong Kong appeals court jailed three leaders of the Chinese-ruled city’s democracy movement for six to eight months, dealing a blow to the youth-led push for universal suffrage and prompting accusations of political interference.

“The UK remains a staunch supporter of the right to peaceful protest and we believe it is vital that Hong Kong’s young people have a voice in politics. Hong Kong’s way of life is underpinned by its rule of law,” a spokeswoman for Britain’s Foreign Office said in a statement.

“We note the decision reached by the Court of Appeal on the case of Joshua Wong, Nathan Law and Alex Chow and we hope the decision on this case will not discourage legitimate protest in the future.”