Macau’s youngest lawmaker, 26-year-old Sulu Sou, has been fined 40,800 patacas (US$5,060) by a local court for aggravated disobedience in his involvement in a protest outside the home of territory leader Fernando Chui. Sou will receive no jail time.
Elected in September 2017, Sou has been an advocate of greater government accountability as part of the New Macau Association, a pro-democracy group mostly made up of members in their 20s and 30s, according to Reuters.
Another group member, Scott Chiang, was fined 27,000 patacas (US$3,348) in the case.
As a lawmaker, Sou had immunity from prosecution, but 28 of the 33 legislative assembly members in Macau voted in December to suspend him so that he could stand trial.
Public support for Sou and the New Macau Association has increased since last August, when Typhoon Hato caused extensive property damage in Macau and also killed at least nine people. The government was strongly criticized for what some consider inadequate warnings before the storm and an inadequate response afterward.
