Hong Kong Court Convicts 14 of 16 Democracy Activists of Subversion
A Hong Kong court has convicted 14 out of 16 activists and politicians of subversion in the largest trial to date under the national security law imposed by Beijing. The designated judges, who handle cases under the 2020 security law that prohibits jury trials, detailed their reasoning in a 319-page document published online.
Former district councillors Laurence Lau and Lee Yue-shun, a social worker, were acquitted, marking the first time anyone has been cleared of charges under the national security law since it was enacted nearly four years ago. Lau, who was one of the few defendants granted bail, organized his own defense.
The remaining defendants entered guilty pleas.
Prosecutors claimed that the group intended to use their positions in the legislative council, if elected, to obstruct Hong Kong’s annual budget, which would have forced the city’s chief executive to resign and the legislature to be dissolved.
The judges adopted a broad interpretation of the security law and concurred with the prosecution that the group's alleged plan could have caused “political instability leading to a constitutional crisis.”
In a statement following the decision, Maya Wang, Human Rights Watch’s acting China director, said the verdict showed the “utter contempt” in Hong Kong for democratic political processes and the rule of law.
“Democracy is not a crime, regardless of what the Chinese government and its handpicked Hong Kong court may say,” Wang said. “Beijing promised Hong Kong people universal suffrage. It is Beijing that needs to be held accountable for repeatedly reneging on these promises, and for blatantly erasing the basic human rights guaranteed in Hong Kong laws and functional constitution.”
