A Hong Kong court found 14 opposition figures guilty in a landmark national security case and acquitted two others, ending an unbroken conviction streak under the law since Beijing imposed it on the city in 2020.
Judges in the once-freewheeling finance hub found the majority of the 16 defendants guilty of subversion charges in the biggest case brought to trial under the China-drafted legislation. Two were acquitted because the court was uncertain about their roles and intent in the alleged crime, according to the ruling on Thursday.
The defendants had hoped to secure a majority in the former British colony’s legislature that would have given them the power to block the city leader’s agenda—and theoretically force the chief executive to resign. Former district councilors Lawrence Lau and Lee Yue-shun were freed following their acquittals, the government said it would appeal their verdicts. Some supporters hugged and cheered for Lau and Lee as they walked out of the courtroom in West Kowloon Law Courts.
Still, the verdicts were mostly a victory for a government determined to crack down on political dissent, after China’s sweeping national security law silenced street protests and pressured dozens of opposition groups to disband. They were handed down by three High Court judges selected from a panel handpicked by the city’s former leader.
Australia’s foreign minister, Penny Wong, said the Australian government was “deeply concerned” by the verdicts, including the conviction of Gordon Ng, an Australian citizen. Ng was not a candidate in the unsanctioned primaries but urged the public to vote for their winners in the official legislative elections, according to the ruling.
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