Hong Kong on Thursday convicted 14 democracy activists and acquitted two others who had been accused of subversion under a national national security law imposed by China that opponents say is being used in a crackdown on dissent.
The defendants were among 47 activists who were arrested in 2021 and accused of conspiracy to commit subversion. Thirty-one of the detainees had earlier pleaded guilty, with the 14 newly convicted activists now facing a potential life sentence.
Among those found guilty Thursday are former lawmakers Leung Kwok-hung, Lam Cheuk-ting, Helena Wong, and Raymond Chan. Prosecutors said they were part of a group who organized an unofficial primary election in 2020 ahead of elections for Hong Kong’s Legislative Council.
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Activists said the unofficial primary was intended to select the best candidates for the election, whereas Hong Kong authorities claimed it was actually a “vicious plot” that sought to “paralyze the government and undermine state power.”
Most of the 47 defendants in the case have been detained for more than three years following their arrests. The 45 convicted now await sentencing at a later date, with prosecutors saying they intend to appeal the two acquittals.
The U.S. and several other nations slammed the trial as being politically motivated. Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong also released a statement after the verdicts saying her country is “deeply concerned” by the rulings, including a guilty verdict for Gordon Ng, an Australian citizen.
“Australia has expressed our strong objections to the Hong Kong authorities on the continuing broad application of national security legislation to arrest and pressure pro-democracy figures, opposition groups, media, trade unions and civil society,” Wong said, also referring to the “systemic erosion” of rights and freedoms in Hong Kong.
Beijing, which imposed the national security law in 2020, welcomed the rulings. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning on Thursday said the Chinese government backs Hong Kong’s judicial authorities and law enforcement in “carrying out their duties” in “punishing all acts that undermine national security.” “No one should be allowed to use “democracy” as a pretext to engage in unlawful activities and escape justice,” she said.
