Three pro-democracy activists were sentenced to up to 10 years in prison after a landmark and highly contentious trial under Hong Kong’s national security law. It is the biggest case so far under the law Beijing imposed in 2020 to curb dissent in the city.
Activists who in 2020 ran unofficial primaries to choose pro-democracy candidates for Hong Kong’s Legislative Council have been charged with subversion. Authorities said it was an attempt to destroy the government – now part of sweeping national security legislation that is considered a serious offense.
There is a growing international outcry over the case, with rights groups and other foreign governments accusing Beijing of using the law to silence its political opposition and dismantle Hong Kong’s democratic structures. Critics say such a move erodes the principle of “one country, two systems,” especially designed to protect the autonomy of Hong Kong as well as its freedoms.
Once again, the sentencing flags the intensification of a crackdown on dissent in Hong Kong and indeed what the city holds as a hub for political and economic freedoms. Furthermore, this development speaks to tightening control from Beijing over Hong Kong with warnings from activists and advocates that the space continues to shrink for democratic expression.
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