Hong Kong democracy activist freed from jail, vows to join mass protests

Hong Kong's pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong speaks to members of the media at the High Court in Hong Kong, China May 16, 2019. REUTERS/James Pomfret

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong walked free from prison on Monday after serving nearly five weeks for contempt of court, pledging to join a mass protest movement demanding that the city's Beijing-backed leader, Carrie Lam, to step down.

His release comes a day after organisers of the protest calling for Lam to quit over a controversial extradition bill said almost two million black-clad people joined Sunday's march to government offices.