Hong Kong: People gathered at the Hong Kong University on Sunday to pay tribute to a 21-year-old student who apparently jumped to her death after writing a final message on a wall criticising the Hong Kong government’s extradition bill the day before.
The message was written in red and read: “I wish to exchange my life to fulfil the wishes of two million... Please keep persisting.”
School and student union leaders held a moment of silence for the woman.
They laid flowers in front of a banner with the student’s final message on it and bowed.
Some mourners left messages on boards by the memorial.
One former student, Jenny Hong, said that her heart ached at the news as she came to the school to mourn the woman’s death.
This is the second death among protesters since mass demonstrations broke out against the extradition bill.
On June 15, a 35-year-old protester fell to his death from a Hong Kong skyscraper after hanging a banner demanding the government withdraw the extradition bill.
Critics believe the extradition legislation would put Hong Kong residents at risk of becoming entrapped in China’s murky judicial system, in which political opponents have been charged with economic crimes or ill-defined national security transgressions.
Opponents say that once charged, suspects may face unfair proceedings in a system where the vast majority of criminal trials end in conviction.
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