HONG KONG — The leaders of a Hong Kong protest movement pleaded not guilty on Monday to public nuisance charges stemming from the pro-democracy demonstrations that disrupted the city for more than two months in 2014.

The Occupy movement — founded in March 2013 by the professors Benny Tai and Chan Kin-man and a retired pastor, Chu Yiu-ming — began as a peaceful protest effort that eventually drew tens of thousands of people, paralyzing traffic in Hong Kong. The leaders demanded universal suffrage in the city’s elections, vowing to escalate their civil disobedience until they reached their goals.

The three men pleaded not guilty on Monday to a charge of conspiracy to commit public nuisance. Six other leaders of the movement also pleaded not guilty to related charges in the case, with the individual offenses carrying maximum sentences of seven years in prison.

The 2014 protesters were demonstrating against what they said was the city’s undemocratic way of choosing its leaders. Hong Kong’s chief executive is currently selected by hundreds of people picked to represent the city’s various constituencies. Critics of the system say the representatives skew heavily in favor of pro-Beijing candidates who do not represent the popular choice of the people.