Over 40 prominent pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong have been sentenced to prison terms of up to 10 years on charges of subversion, marking the most significant setback to the city’s already diminishing political freedoms following Beijing’s extensive crackdown on dissent. Among those sentenced on Tuesday was Joshua Wong, a former student leader and emblematic figure of the city’s once-vibrant pro-democracy movement, who proclaimed “I love Hong Kong” as he departed the courtroom.
All 45 defendants—including former high-profile lawmakers, activists, union members, and journalists—received prison sentences ranging from 50 months to 10 years, representing the largest prosecution to date under a national security law enacted by Beijing four years ago. The total prison sentences issued by the judges exceeded 240 years.
Beijing intensified its suppression of opposition voices in the previously free-spirited city following significant and at times violent pro-democracy protests that shook the international financial hub in 2019. The mass sentencing on Tuesday highlights the extent of this transformation, turning a once vocal city of 7.5 million, where protests were commonplace, into a semblance of the authoritarian Chinese mainland, with many opposition figures incarcerated and other critical voices silenced or forced to flee abroad.
Notable legal scholar Benny Tai, labeled by the judges as the “mastermind” and “principal offender,” received the longest sentence of 10 years—the harshest imposed under the national security law thus far. Wong, the student leader, was sentenced to 4 years and 8 months. Both appeared to have lost weight and had not been seen in public for some time.
Gwyneth Ho, a former journalist renowned for live-streaming protests in 2019, was sentenced to 7 years; former lawmaker Leung Kwok-hung, known as “Long Hair” for his long-standing advocacy for democracy, received 6 years and 9 months; and Claudia Mo, a former journalist turned legislator, was given 4 years and 2 months.
In the crowded public gallery of the West Kowloon court, some family members and friends were visibly emotional as the sentences were announced, while others attempted to maintain a positive demeanor, smiling and waving at the defendants, who responded in kind.
Outside the court, a woman was promptly taken away in a police van after attempting to display a banner at the exit following the hearing. She was identified by Reuters as Elsa Wu, the mother of social worker Hendrick Lui, who was sentenced to over four years in prison. “He’s a good person… why does he have to go to jail?” she shouted from the police van.
Earlier on Tuesday morning, more than 300 individuals lined up in light rain outside the court—many having arrived before dawn—to secure seats and show support for the defendants. Police maintained a significant presence outside the courthouse and selectively searched prominent activists. Among those waiting in line was former district councilor Lee Yue-shun, one of the two acquitted defendants. “Everyone should care about all the defendants,” he stated.
The group, initially comprising 47 defendants, faced charges of “conspiracy to commit subversion” for their involvement in an unofficial primary election in 2020 aimed at enhancing their prospects in citywide elections. However, city officials, police, and prosecutors contended that the democratic primary constituted a “massive and well-organized scheme to subvert the Hong Kong government.”
In their ruling on Tuesday, the judges indicated that had the defendants’ plan been fully executed, the repercussions would have been extensive and as severe as an attempt to overthrow the government. In May, the court convicted 14 who contested the charges, while 31 others opted to plead guilty in hopes of receiving lighter sentences. Only two were acquitted.
This case, widely referred to as the trial of the “Hong Kong 47,” has attracted considerable attention from human rights organizations and foreign governments alarmed by the sweeping changes in the once-diverse business hub. Following the sentencing on Tuesday, numerous condemnations emerged.
The United States expressed strong disapproval, with a spokesperson from the US consulate in Hong Kong urging Beijing and Hong Kong authorities to “cease politically motivated prosecutions of Hong Kong citizens and to immediately release all political prisoners and individuals imprisoned for their peaceful advocacy of rights and freedoms.”
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong voiced her “grave concern” regarding the sentences, including those affecting Gordon Ng, an Australian citizen. She urged China to “halt the suppression of freedoms of expression, assembly, media, and civil society” in Hong Kong and to repeal the national security law. In response, China’s Foreign Ministry accused “some western countries” of “interfering…”
