How a primary election led to activists being arrested in Hong Kong’s biggest national security case

HONG KONG (AP) — Verdicts in Hong Kong’s largest national security case to date, involving some of the city’s best-known pro-democracy activists, will be delivered on Thursday, more than three years after the defendants’ arrest.

In 2021, 47 pro-democracy activists were charged with conspiracy to commit subversion under the sweeping, Beijing-imposed national security law for their involvement in an unofficial primary election. The mass prosecution crushed the city’s once-thriving political activism and dimmed hopes of a more democratic Hong Kong.

Sixteen of the 47 defendants are expecting to hear their fate on Thursday and Friday and could face up to life in prison if convicted.

Critics argue the law has drastically eroded the freedoms that are vital to maintaining the city’s status as a global financial hub. “It is a trial of the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong,” said Eric Lai, a research fellow at Georgetown Center for Asian Law.

What to know about the security case:

WHO ARE THE 47 ACTIVISTS?

Many of the city’s most prominent democracy advocates are among the 47 activists, whose ages range from their 20s to 60s.

It includes legal scholar Benny Tai, about a dozen former pro-democracy lawmakers such as Claudia Mo and Alvin Yeung, and activists such as Joshua Wong and Lester Shum. Many have been detained without bail for more than three years.

Sixteen of the defendants — including former lawmakers Leung Kwok-hung and Raymond Chan and journalist-turned-activist Gwyneth Ho — began their trial in February 2023 after pleading not guilty. The court has scheduled two days of hearings for their verdicts.

Thirty-one others, including Tai, Mo, Yeung, Wong and Shum, have pleaded guilty. They have a better chance of shorter jail terms