45 sentenced to up to 10 years in prison in Hong Kong national security case

45 Hong Kong pro-democracy activists are sentenced to jail in city’s biggest national security trial

Time

Hong Kong Jails Dozens of Activists in Landmark National Security Case

USA Today

Hong Kong court sentences 45 pro-democracy activists in landmark security trial

Hong Kong 47: Democracy leaders sentenced to lengthy jail terms in largest national security trial as Beijing tightens grip

Foreign governments criticize Hong Kong’s sentencing of 45 activists. Beijing defends it

Dozens sentenced for up to 10 years in prison in Hong Kong national security case

Independent

Hong Kong jails 45 pro-democracy activists after largest national security trial

Guardian

Activists, professors, legislators: who are the Hong Kong 47?

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.

Chinadaily.com.cn

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.

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.

Al Jazeera

60-year-old legal scholar Benny Tai received the longest sentence of 10 years, while 28-year-old activist Joshua Wong was sentenced to four years and eight months for his role in the primary election scheme.

The New York Times

The judges ruled that the defendants' plan to win a legislative majority and repeatedly veto the government's budget would have created a constitutional crisis.

BBC News

Of the original 47 defendants, 31 pleaded guilty, 14 were convicted after contesting the charges, and two were acquitted in the largest single prosecution under the security law.

South China Morning Post

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There's a 50% chance that Hong Kong will stop being a Special Administrative Region of China by Dec. 30, 2046, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

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When will Hong Kong stop being a Special Administrative Region of China?

The national security law was necessary to restore stability after violent protests threatened Hong Kong's order in 2019. Not only was the protest illegal but these defendants continued to defy the law thereafter. These sentences reflect proper legal consequences for attempting to paralyze the government through unconstitutional means and distorted facts.

RTHK

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Benny Tai and 44 others jailed in subversion case

This demonstrates 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.

Hong Kong Free Press HKFP

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Mixed emotions for families of HK democrats jailed in landmark case

Xiao Meilin/Contributor/VCG via Getty Images

Hong Kong Jails 45 Pro-Democracy Activists for Subversion

China

Freedom & human rights

Politics

Civil liberties

There's a 50% chance that Hong Kong will stop being a Special Administrative Region of China by Dec. 2046, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Hong Kong Jails 45 Pro-Democracy Activists for Subversion

Hong Kong Jails 45 Pro-Democracy Activists for Subversion

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Hong Kong Jails 45 Pro-Democracy Activists for Subversion

Hong Kong Jails 45 Pro-Democracy Activists for Subversion

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