HONG KONG: A court in Hong Kong on Tuesday sentenced 45 democracy activists to prison terms of up to 10 years for violations of Beijing’s controversial national security law. The trial of the group known as the “Hong Kong 47” was the largest ever for alleged violations of the legislation, which was first implemented in June 2020.
The group of opposition activists was charged more than three years ago. The trial lasted from February to December 2023. The group includes former parliamentarians, academics and activists. Among them are former student leader Joshua Wong, who received four years and eight months, and legal scholar Benny Tai, who was sentenced by the court to 10 years in prison. Wong and 30 other defendants had already pleaded guilty at the beginning of the proceedings. Of the remaining 16 defendants, the judges found 14 guilty at the end of May this year, while two were acquitted.
The 47 were charged with subversion in relation to an unofficial primary election for Hong Kong’s 2020 Legislative Council, which was later cancelled due to the Coronavirus pandemic. (DPA)
