- A Hong Kong court found 14 of 16 pro-democracy activists guilty of conspiring to subvert the state under the national security law imposed by Beijing, with potential prison terms ranging from three years to life, while two defendants were acquitted, marking the first national security law defendants to be found not guilty after trial. [nbcnews.com, nytimes.com]
- The convictions were part of the city’s biggest national security case, involving 47 pro-democracy organizers and lawmakers arrested in 2021 for trying to “paralyze” the Hong Kong government, with 31 pleading guilty to national security offenses. [semafor.com, abcnews.go.com]
- The campaigners, known as the “Hong Kong 47,” were accused of trying to “overthrow” the government by running unofficial primaries in July 2020, potentially breaching the National Security Law. [barrons.com]
- The European Union condemned the convictions as politically motivated, further deteriorating fundamental freedoms and democratic participation in Hong Kong. [semafor.com, abcnews.go.com, barrons.com]
- The case tested the rule of law in Hong Kong, with diplomats, human rights, and business groups closely monitoring the proceedings, and critics seeing the trial as a sign of the decline of freedoms in the city, with the national security law prosecutions signaling a crackdown on dissent. [bloomberg.com, cnn.com, nbcnews.com]
- Beijing defends the National Security Law as necessary for stability, but critics argue it has eroded Hong Kong’s autonomy and freedoms. [barrons.com]
Sources:
- nbcnews.com (English)
- nytimes.com (English)
- bloomberg.com (English)
- nbcnews.com (English)
- reuters.com (English)
- sky.com (English)
- bloomberg.com (English)
- cnn.com (English)
- semafor.com (English)
- abcnews.go.com (English)
- bbc.com (English)
- barrons.com (English)
- dw.com (English)
- nikkei.com (English)
- dw.com (English)
- france24.com (French)