On Tuesday, in a historic case that has evoked outrage from foreign countries and human rights activists, forty-five characters active in the fight for democracy in Hong Kong were given prison sentences of up to ten years. Nevertheless, Beijing firmly stood its ground on the matter, claiming that the determinations were made in accordance with the law and were necessary. The accused and others were part of a group of 47 pro-democracy activists who in 2021 were also prosecuted under a wide-ranging national security law enforced by China. Their offence was related to voting in a primary contest held for the purpose of selecting candidates for the opposing political parties. They were accused of plotting to bring the government to a standstill by promising to veto all budgetary requests whenever they would be able to gain the legislative majority. Prosecutors claimed this plan was aimed at provoking a dissolution of the Legislative Council and subsequently, eliciting the resignation of the city’s Chief Executive. This case represents the broadest ever enforcement of the national security law in Hong Kong and the most significant epoch for the politics of Hong Kong so far.
The case encompassed a broad array of pro-democracy figures representing various ideological spectrums within Hong Kong’s opposition. Of the 47 individuals charged, 31 opted to plead guilty to the accusation of conspiracy to commit subversion under the national security law. Fourteen others faced trial and were subsequently convicted after protracted legal proceedings. Meanwhile, two defendants were acquitted, marking rare exceptions in the city’s largest and most high-profile national security case to date.
Penny Wong, who is the Australian Foreign Minister, stated that she is very worried about the sentencing of Gordon Ng, an Australian citizen, and some other activists. Wong pointed out that the Australian government has made strong representations to both Chinese and Hong Kong authorities regarding the extreme and overbroad use of national security laws.
Catherine West, Britain’s Minister for the Indo-Pacific, condemned the sentencing as an unequivocal illustration of Hong Kong authorities weaponizing the national security law to suppress political dissent.”The individuals sentenced today were merely exercising their fundamental rights to freedom of speech, assembly, and political engagement,” she asserted.
The European Union decried the sentencing as “another unprecedented blow” to Hong Kong’s core liberties, democratic engagement, and political diversity. In a formal statement, the EU expressed profound alarm over what it characterised as politically driven prosecutions targeting individuals for their peaceful political activities. It emphasised that such endeavours should be deemed legitimate within any governance framework that upholds foundational democratic tenets.
Maya Wang, who is the Associate China Director at Human Rights Watch said: “In Hong Kong, it is already illegal to take part in an election and, moreover, to try to win it, with punishment of up to ten years imprisonment.” Moreover, she noted, this kind of punishment illustrates the hardening of oppression of civil rights and the fall of judicial independence in Hong Kong over a period of four years after the national security legislation was inflicted.
