Top Hong Kong pro-democracy leaders sentenced to jail
A Hong Kong court has sentenced prominent pro-democracy figures to prison for subversion following a highly controversial national security trial.
Activists Benny Tai and Joshua Wong were among the 47 individuals involved in a plan to select opposition candidates for local elections. Tai was handed a 10-year sentence, while Wong received over four years.
In total, 47 activists, opposition lawmakers, and ordinary citizens faced charges for organizing or participating in the plan. Most were convicted of conspiracy to commit subversion, with two acquitted.
This trial marks the largest application of the stringent national security law imposed by China on Hong Kong after the 2019 pro-democracy protests. Critics argue that it significantly erodes the city’s pro-democracy movement and undermines the rule of law, effectively tightening China’s control over Hong Kong. The United States has condemned the trial as “politically motivated.”
Beijing and Hong Kong’s authorities maintain that the law is crucial for maintaining stability and deny it has diminished the region’s autonomy. They also assert that the convictions serve as a deterrent against efforts to threaten China’s national security.
The case has drawn significant public attention, with many Hongkongers lining up outside the court for days before the sentencing to secure a seat in the public gallery.
In 2020, hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong residents participated in an unofficial primary for the Legislative Council election, organized by pro-democracy activists to improve the opposition’s chances of countering the pro-Beijing government’s legislative agenda.
The activists argued that their actions were legal. But officials accused the activists of attempting to “overthrow” the government, and judges in their ruling agreed with the prosecution’s argument that the plan would have created a constitutional crisis.
On Tuesday, the court handed out sentences ranging from four to ten years. Tai, a former law professor who came up with the plan for the unofficial primary, received the longest sentence.
Other prominent pro-democracy figures who were convicted include Gwyneth Ho, a former journalist who went into politics, and former lawmakers Claudia Mo and Leung Kwok-hung. They received sentences between four to seven years in prison.
