📷 Image Credits: Al Jazeera English
In a landmark case in Hong Kong, a court has found 14 out of 16 pro-democracy activists guilty of conspiracy to commit subversion in the city’s largest national security trial under the China-imposed law. The verdict was delivered more than three years after the defendants were charged, following their involvement in an unofficial primary election. Among the convicted are former lawmakers Leung Kwok-hung, Lam Cheuk-ting, Helena Wong, and Raymond Chan, who now face potential life imprisonment pending sentencing.
The trial, overseen by judges handpicked by the government under the national security law, has been closely watched as a test of how the law will be wielded to suppress political dissent. Critics argue that the case demonstrates a further erosion of Hong Kong’s once robust rule of law, following mass protests in 2019 against government plans to introduce security legislation that encroached on civil liberties.
The prosecution alleged that the activists planned to disrupt the government and force the city’s leader to resign through an unofficial pre-selection ballot in a citywide election in July 2020. While the defendants maintain their actions were aimed at selecting strong candidates to achieve a historic majority in the Legislative Council, authorities accuse them of a subversive plot.
International observers, including diplomats from the UK, US, and Europe, have criticized the trial as politically motivated and called for the immediate release of those charged. The US and other countries have raised concerns about the use of the national security law to stifle dissent and quash opposition voices in Hong Kong.
Feelings were tense outside the courtroom, with a heavy police presence and supporters queuing overnight to follow the proceedings closely. The trial and its outcome have profound implications for the future of democracy and civil liberties in Hong Kong, as the city grapples with an increasingly restrictive political environment and the encroachment of Beijing’s authority.
