The 47 Pro-Democracy Figures in Hong Kong’s Largest National Security Trial
Forty-seven pro-democracy figures in Hong Kong have been accused of a conspiracy to commit subversion in a landmark political case. Many of the defendants have been in jail for nearly two years while awaiting trial.
The case highlights the sweeping power of a national security law China imposed to tighten its grip on the city after massive anti-government protests. These are the politicians, academics and activists who are now facing prison sentences.
Benny Tai, 58, was a professor of law at the University of Hong Kong.
Joshua Wong, 26, became a prominent activist at the age of 14.
Twelve were elected lawmakers, who had often used their presence in the legislature to protest China’s encroachment on Hong Kong’s autonomy.
Twenty-one had been elected district officials, including younger activists who were voted in following months of anti-government protests in 2019.
Others were prominent activists who had worked on various social causes.
Lengthy Detentions Without Trial
The 47 defendants were first charged in February 2021 with subversion in a case centering on the holding of an unofficial primary vote.
Unlike other types of offenses, national security cases impose a high threshold for bail, which, in effect, lets the authorities hold defendants for months or even years before trial. Critics say that amounts to a presumption that defendants are guilty.
In hearings before the trial, 16 pleaded not guilty and 31 pleaded guilty, including Benny Tai and Joshua Wong. Most, if not all, of the 47 are expected to receive prison sentences, which could range from less than three years to life.
The defendants and their lawyers are barred from commenting on the case. But legal experts say the democracy proponents are likely under enormous pressure to plead guilty because of the lengthy detentions, dwindling financial resources and the difficult chances of winning in a court modeled after China’s authoritarian system.
“The process is designed to be as painful as possible,” said Samuel Bickett, a lawyer and activist based in Washington, D.C., who was jailed in Hong Kong after scuffling with a plainclothes police officer in 2019.
The Transformation of Hong Kong’s Political Landscape
Hong Kong was engulfed in widespread protests calling for greater freedom from China starting in June 2019. To quell the unrest, Beijing imposed a national security law in June 2020, days before the 47 democrats held the primary election that would lead to their arrests months later for subversion.
Nearly three-quarters of the 47 have been jailed ever since, a span of almost two years. Their absence contributed to the dearth of anti-establishment voices in Hong Kong’s legislature, which passed controversial measures without opposition such as a “patriots only” litmus test for political candidates.
The trial is expected to last three months.