Hong Kong sentences 45 democracy activists to up to 10 years in prison

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A Hong Kong court has sentenced 45 leading pro-democracy activists to up to 10 years in prison in a landmark security case as authorities stamp out dissent in the Chinese territory.

Legal scholar Benny Tai received 10 years in prison, the heaviest sentence. The court, in its ruling on Tuesday, said that Tai was a “principal offender” in organising an unofficial primary election in 2020.

The other defendants received sentences of between four and eight years. Joshua Wong, a former leading student protest organiser, was sentenced to more than four years in prison, while Gordon Ng, an Australian national, received more than seven years.

“One day in prison is too many,” said Chan Po-ying, wife of former lawmaker Leung Kwok-hung, 68, who was sentenced to 81 months.

The trial of the Hong Kong 47, as the case was known, was the largest national security trial in Hong Kong, which has been struggling to restore its reputation as an international financial centre in the wake of Beijing’s political crackdown and coronavirus pandemic restrictions.

“This case is unprecedented in Hong Kong’s history of democratic movement,” said Eric Lai, a research fellow at Georgetown University’s Center for Asian Law. “Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement will suffer for many years due to the vacuum of leaders and outstanding activists.”

The defendants — who were arrested in sweeping dawn raids in January 2021 — represented some of the city’s most prominent pro-democracy politicians, activists, union officials, journalists, academics and student leaders.

Thirty-one, including Tai and Wong, had pleaded guilty in hopes of receiving reduced sentences, while 14 were convicted in May. Two were previously acquitted, though prosecutors have filed an appeal against one of the acquittals.

Most of the defendants have been in detention for more than three years after being denied bail. The charges carried a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

This is a developing story