Hong Kong’s High Court on Tuesday sentenced 45 pro-democracy activists to prison terms of up to 10 years in a landmark national security trial. The case has dealt a significant blow to the city’s democracy movement and drawn criticism from the United States and other countries.
The trial involved 47 activists who were arrested and charged in 2021 with conspiracy to commit subversion under a national security law imposed by Beijing in 2020. The law carries penalties of up to life imprisonment.
Benny Tai, a former legal scholar described in the judgment as a “mastermind” behind the activists’ plans, received the longest sentence of 10 years. The charges stemmed from the organisation of an unofficial “primary election” in 2020, intended to select pro-democracy candidates for an upcoming legislative election. Prosecutors accused the group of planning to paralyse the government through potentially disruptive acts if elected.
The trial has drawn sharp criticism from Western governments. The United States described it as “politically motivated” and called for the activists’ release, asserting they were engaged in lawful and peaceful political activities.
The Chinese and Hong Kong governments have defended the national security law as necessary to restore order following the 2019 pro-democracy protests, insisting that the activists were prosecuted in line with local laws.
After a 118-day trial, 14 of the activists were convicted in May, including Australian citizen Gordon Ng, Owen Chow, and Gwyneth Ho. Two defendants were acquitted. The remaining 31 had earlier pleaded guilty. Sentences for the convicted ranged from four to 10 years.
“Our true crime for Beijing is that we were not content with playing along in manipulated elections,” said Ho, who was sentenced to seven years in prison. “We dared to confront the regime with the question: will democracy ever be possible within such a structure? The answer was a complete crackdown on all fronts of society,” she wrote in a Facebook post.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong expressed “grave concern” over the sentences, urging China to “cease suppression of freedoms of expression, assembly, media, and civil society” in Hong Kong.
Other notable sentences included Owen Chow, who received seven years and nine months, prominent activist Joshua Wong, sentenced to four years and eight months, and Hendrick Lui, who was sentenced to just over four years.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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