45 Hong Kong pro-democracy activists are sentenced to jail in city’s biggest national security trial
NBCDec 04, 2024
A Hong Kong court on Tuesday sentenced 45 pro-democracy leaders to prison terms ranging from four years and two months to 10 years under the national security law imposed by Beijing in 2020.
The defendants, including former lawmakers and academics, were charged with conspiracy to commit subversion for organizing an unofficial primary election that drew 610K voters in July 2020.The defendants, including former lawmakers, activists, unionists, and journalists, were charged with conspiracy to commit subversion for organizing an unofficial primary election that drew 610K voters in July 2020.
Legal scholar Benny Tai received the longest sentence of 10 years, while prominent activist Joshua Wong was sentenced to four years and eight months for their roles in the primary election scheme.Prosecutors had accused the defendants of conspiring to "overthrow" the government by forcing the island's leader to resign. However, the activists' attorneys claimed that the call for election was just an exercise of democracy.
The national security law was necessary to restore stability after violent protests threatened Hong Kong's order in 2019. TheThese sentences reflect proper legal consequences for attempting to paralyze the government through unconstitutional means and distorted facts. Not only was the protest illegal but these defendants continued to defy the law thereafter.
TheThis harshdemonstrates sentences demonstrate how Hong Kong's civil liberties and judicial independence have rapidly deteriorated, turning peaceful political participation into a crime punishable by lengthy imprisonment. The fight for Hong Kong's true history and civic freedoms will continue despite China's attempts to strip democracy from what should be a sovereign island.