Hong Kong's High Court on Wednesday jailed Joshua Wong for contempt after he pleaded guilty to flouting a 2014 court order to leave a protest camp that blocked a main road.

Another activist, Raphael Wong, was handed a four-month sentence over the same incident. More than a dozen other defendants received suspended sentences.

In the ruling, Chief Justice Andrew Chan said although Wong had only been at the protest camp for a short time, his involvement in obstructing the clearance operation was "deep and extensive."

"He played a leading role on that day," the judge said. "In view of his overall involvement, I am of the view that the only appropriate punishment for Mr. Wong will be one of immediate imprisonment."

Read more:Hong Kong's 20 years under Chinese rule – A failed project?

Hong Kong's 20-year history since handover 1997: Historic moment The handover of Hong Kong's sovereignty from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China took place on July 1, 1997. The territory on China's Pearl River Delta became a British colony in 1842 and was occupied by Japan during World War II. After Hong Kong's return to China, the political situation was described as "one country, two systems."

Hong Kong's 20-year history since handover 1999: No family reunions Divided families, who had been split by the Hong Kong border, had hoped to be reunited after the territory's return to China. But with a daily quota of only 150 mainland Chinese allowed to settle in Hong Kong, many were left disapointed. This photo from 1999 shows mainland Chinese visitors protesting outside Hong Kong's Legal Aid Department after they were denied residency permits.

Hong Kong's 20-year history since handover 2002: Dashed hopes The residency issue flared up again in April 2002 when Hong Kong began deporting some 4,000 mainland Chinese who had lost legal battles to stay in the territory. These desperate families were evicted from a central park where they had been protesting.

Hong Kong's 20-year history since handover 2003: The SARS pandemic hits In 2003, the highly contagious SARS virus spread through Hong Kong. The territory was hard hit by the flu-like virus and in March, the WHO declared it a pandemic. This man attended Doctor Tse Yuen-man's funeral in May. Dr. Tse had volunteered to care for SARS patients and had contracted the virus herself. Hong Kong was declared SARS-free in June 2003. Almost 300 people had died of the disease.

Hong Kong's 20-year history since handover 2004: Rally for democracy China's policy of "one country, two systems" has often created tension. In 2004, on the seventh anniversary of the handover, hundreds of thousands of people protested in Hong Kong, demanding political reform. They were calling for democracy and direct elections for Hong Kong's next leader.

Hong Kong's 20-year history since handover 2008: No place to live Soaring property prices in Hong Kong forced rents higher. By 2008, it wasn't unusual to see people like Kong Siu-kau living in so-called "cage homes," 15-square-foot (1.4 square meters) wire mesh cubicles, eight of which were usually crammed into one room. Today an estimated 200,000 people call a wire cage, or a single bed in a shared apartment, home.

Hong Kong's 20-year history since handover 2009: Remembering Tiananmen Square On the twentieth anniversary of the government's brutal crackdown in Tiananmen Square, Hong Kong residents gathered for a candlelight vigil in Victoria Park. It showed how different Hong Kong is from China, where the massacre of pro-democracy supporters and students on June 4, 1989, is usually only referred to as the June Fourth Incident.

Hong Kong's 20-year history since handover 2014: Occupy Central Starting in September 2014, large-scale protests demanding more autonomy rocked Hong Kong for over two months. Beijing had announced that China would decide on the candidates for the 2017 election of Hong Kong's chief executive. The protests were referred to as the Umbrella Revolution, because protesters used umbrellas to fend off pepper spray and tear gas used by police.

Hong Kong's 20-year history since handover 2015: Sport becomes political Less than a year after the Occupy Central protests ended, China played against Hong Kong in a soccer World Cup qualifiying match on November 17, 2015. The guests did not receive a friendly welcome in Hong Kong. Fans booed when the Chinese national anthem was played and held up posters saying "Hong Kong is not China." The match ended 0-0.

Hong Kong's 20-year history since handover 2016: Another bout of violence In February 2016, Hong Kong's rough police tactics made headlines again. Authorities tried to remove illegal street vendors from a working-class Hong Kong neighborhood. They sent riot police, who used batons and pepper spray against protesters, and also fired live warning shots into the air. The street clashes were the worst since the Umbrella Revolution in 2014. Author: Carla Bleiker



Demands for free elections

The "Umbrella Movement" brought parts of Hong Kong to a standstill for more than two months. Tens of thousands of mostly student activists called on Beijing to allow fully free elections of future leaders in the semiautonomous Chinese city.

Read more: Thousands protest jailing of activists in Hong Kong

Wong, who was just 18 in 2014, is currently seeking to overturn a six-month sentence for a separate protest action. He started serving that sentence in August but was granted bail pending an appeal verdict. Hong Kong's highest court, which heard the appeal on Tuesday, is due to announce its decision at a later date.

Read more:Is Hong Kong's 'one country, two systems' status in jeopardy?

Hong Kong has been governed by a "one country, two systems" agreement since 1997 when Britain handed the territory back to China.

Under the deal, citizens have the right to freedom of speech and a partially directly elected parliament, as well as an independent judiciary.

2014's most influential young people A schoolgirl's fight for education Malala Yousafzai, a 17-year-old activist from Pakistan, is the youngest ever person to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Two years ago, Malala was shot by the Taliban for her work promoting education for girls. Receiving her prize, Malala said the life story she told was not unique but "the story of many girls." She dedicated the award to the "forgotten children who want education."

2014's most influential young people A tragedy of civic courage Twenty-three-year-old German student Tugce Albayrak was fatally attacked in November, after she intervened on behalf of two girls who were being harassed by three men at a fast food restaurant. Her death ignited a debate on civic courage, with many Germans asking whether people today are as courageous as they should be in such circumstances.

2014's most influential young people Rallying for democracy Joshua Wong (center) is the 18-year-old leader of the student protest movement which has been fighting for democracy in Hong Kong. Along with the activist group Occupy Central, the students occupied areas of the financial and governmental districts in the city, calling for the right to vote freely for the leadership of the semi-autonomous state without interference from mainland China.

2014's most influential young people The courage to speak up After being abused and beaten by her employers while working as a maid in Hong Kong, Erwiana Sulistyaningsih has become an advocate for better laws to protect others who could find themselves in her situation. The 23-year-old Indonesian's courage to talk about her ordeal meant that her case sparked international outrage, and has shed light on the plight of migrant workers around the world.

2014's most influential young people Tragedy sparks change Since 43 students went missing in Mexico in September, only one of their bodies has been identified - that of 19-year-old Alexander Mora, who was studying to be a sports teacher. The students' disappearance highlighted a huge problem in the country - at least 26,000 have gone missing in the past seven years. Thousands of Mexicans continue to protest, calling for answers and justice.

2014's most influential young people A revolutionary voice Lina Ben Mhenni, a Tunisian blogger, has continued to work for democracy in her country since the Tunisian Revolution, which marked the start of the Arab Spring. The 31-year-old activist writes in Arabic, French and English on her blog "A Tunisian Girl," speaking out against corruption and censorship. Mhenni's work gives a female voice to democracy in the Middle East and North Africa. Author: Loveday Wright



nm/sms (AFP, AP, Reuters, dpa)