More than four years after a Beijing-drafted national security law came into force in Hong Kong, 45 leading democrats finally learned their fate when a mass trial under the legislation ended on November 19. Most had been detained since February 2021.
Tsang Kin-shing, aka “the Bull,” lines up outside the West Kowloon Law Courts Building on November 19, 2024, ahead of the sentencing hearing for 45 pro-democracy figures in Hong Kong’s largest national security case to date. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.
Another high-profile national security trial, which involves the media mogul Jimmy Lai and six executives and writers from the now-defunct newspaper Apple Daily, saw a significant development when Lai took the stand in mid-November. He has been detained since December 2020.
Elsewhere, the head of the Democratic Party, one of the city’s few remaining opposition entities, reported that members had faced months of harassment.
Benny Tai and Joshua Wong were among the 45 pro-democracy activists jailed for up to 10 years for conspiracy to commit subversion in a case which focused on an unofficial opposition primary election in July 2020. Imposing a 10-year sentence on legal scholar Tai, High Court Judges Andrew Chan, Alex Lee, and Johnny Chan described him as the “mastermind” behind the conspiracy in their judgment.
The second-longest sentence was meted out to activist Owen Chow, who was given seven years and nine months in jail, to be served separately from a five-year sentence for rioting. The court ruled that Chow’s role as an initiator of an online petition to rally “radical” candidates constituted an aggravating factor.
Wong, who became known around the world for his student activism, was given a one-third discount because he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison.
Former Stand News journalist Gwyneth Ho, who did not submit a mitigation plea, was sentenced to seven years in prison. The lowest sentences were four years and two months.
Family members on November 19 finally learned when they would next see their loved ones without a screen separating them. “We will survive this,” said journalist Philip Bowring, husband of jailed former legislator Claudia Mo.
Four of the 45 democracy campaigners jailed on November 19 have since sought to challenge their convictions and sentences. The High Court on November 26 received appeal applications from activist Owen Chow, former lawmaker Helena Wong, ex-district councillor Clarisse Yeung, and former union leader Winnie Yu.
Speaking to reporters after the sentencing hearing, Secretary for Security Chris Tang said the jail terms handed out reflected the “severity” of the democrats’ offenses. Lin Jian, a spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry, said Beijing firmly supported Hong Kong’s efforts to safeguard national security.
The US government, the Australian government, Taiwan’s government, and the European Union, among others, strongly criticized the sentences. The US State Department said it was planning new visa restrictions on “multiple Hong Kong officials” responsible for implementing the security law.
Taiwan’s Presidential Office in a statement said “democracy is no crime” and called the sentencing “a serious violation of the Hong Kong people’s pursuit of freedom and democracy.”
Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai took the stand for the first time in his national security trial on November 20, testifying that he had never tried to influence overseas governments’ foreign policy on Hong Kong or China. The 76-year-old Apple Daily founder is accused of two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces under the Beijing-imposed security law, and one count of conspiring to publish “seditious” materials under a colonial-era law. He faces spending the rest of his life in prison if convicted.
Before Lai took the stand, the Beijing and Hong Kong governments condemned what they called foreign interference in the case. Chief Executive John Lee on November 12 urged the US not to interfere in Hong Kong’s internal affairs after president-elect Donald Trump said it would be “so easy” to free Lai.
A 57-year-old man was charged in mid-November under Hong Kong’s homegrown security law, known as Article 23, over “seditious” posts on social media platforms.
Hong Kong’s leader John Lee praised the city’s prosecutors on November 28 for what he termed their integrity, professionalism, and passion, following US threats of sanctions in response to the jailing of dozens of democrats in a national security case.
The Hong Kong government slammed US lawmakers over claims the city was playing an “increasing role” as a hub for illicit financial activities, calling the allegations “grossly unfounded.”
The government in the first half of 2025 will introduce confidential guidelines for all civil servants to safeguard national security, according to security chief Chris Tang.
Hong Kong national security cases will be barred from being heard remotely under a bill to introduce court proceedings with real-time remote communication link-ups. The first reading of the bill at the Legislative Council (LegCo) has been scheduled for early December.
Members of Hong Kong’s Democratic Party, as well as their families and employers, received harassing messages and letters in the run-up to an internal election, party chair Lo Kin-hei said in mid-November.
As of November 1, a total of 304 people had been arrested for “cases involving suspected acts or activities that endanger national security” since Beijing’s national security law came into effect, according to the Security Bureau. Among them, 91 people and four companies have been charged under the national security law, with 76 convicted. Three people have been charged under Article 23, all of whom have been convicted.
