45 ex-lawmakers and activists were sentenced to four to 10 years in prison under a Beijing-imposed law that crushed a once-thriving pro-democracy movement.
Lam Yik—Bloomberg/ Getty ImagesHONG KONG — Forty-five ex-lawmakers and activists were sentenced to four to 10 years in prison Tuesday in Hong Kong’s biggest national security case under aThey were tried under the 2020 national security law for their roles in an unofficial primary election. Prosecutors said their aim was to paralyze Hong Kong’s government and force the city’s leader to resign by aiming to win a legislative majority and using it to block government budgets indiscriminately.
In the judgment posted online, the judges wrote that Tai essentially “advocated for a revolution” by publishing a series of articles over a period of months that traced his thinking, even though in his mitigation letter Tai said the steps were “never intended to be used as blueprint for any political action.”
In the judgment, the judges highlighted that a great deal of time, resources and money had been put into the organization of the primary election. Emilia Wong, the girlfriend of Ventus Lau, felt calm because Lau’s jail term was within her expectations. Wong said the sentencing was a “middle phase” of history and she could not see the end point at this moment, but she pledged to support Lau as best as she could.Observers said the trial illustrated how authorities suppressed dissent following huge anti-government protests in 2019, alongside media crackdowns and reduced public choice in elections.
The subversion case involved pro-democracy activists across the spectrum. They include Tai, former student leaderand former lawmakers. Most of them have already been detained for more than three and a half years before the sentencing. The separations pained them and their families. A supporter locally known as “Grandpa Wong,” who did not know the English spelling of his name, said he wanted to see the convicted activists again. He is about 100 years old and feared he wouldn’t be able to see them when they are released from prison.
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