Hong Kong 47: trial 1,240 days in the making finds 14 opposition leaders guilty, as 2 walk free
- Most of 47 have been remanded in custody since they were arrested on January 6, 2021, on subversion charges over unofficial legislative ‘primary’ election
- Sixteen who pleaded not guilty spent 118 days in court in trial spanning 10 months before hearing verdict
Hong Kong’s opposition camp was raided in a series of high-profile arrests by national security police on January 6, 2021, and it would be another 1,240 days before they found out their status before the law – 14 were found guilty, two walked free.
Most of the 47 – who include former veteran lawmakers and rising stars of the now-decimated opposition camp – have been on remand for their assorted roles in an unofficial election held the previous year to boost their chances to take control of the legislature and bring down the government.
While many of the key opposition figures were known for their open defiance of authorities, 31 of them eventually opted to enter guilty pleas over charges of subversion in exchange for a one-third sentence reduction.
Some 16 of them, however, pleaded not guilty and had their cases heard during a 118-day trial.
Under the national security law imposed by Beijing in 2020, subversion carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
On Thursday, the 16 – 10 of whom had been out on bail – returned to West Kowloon Court to hear the verdict.
Previously, the government had said that the number of defendants and the large volume of evidence presented before the court had contributed to the case taking more than three years to be concluded.
