The final arguments in Hong Kong’s largest national security trial began yesterday, more than 1,000 days after authorities filed charges against 47 democracy advocates under a law imposed by China to quell dissent.
The defendants represent a cross-section of Hong Kong’s opposition — from democratically elected lawmakers to unionists and academics — which has been effectively squashed after Hong Kong’s National Security Law was imposed by Beijing in 2020.
The 47 defendants were charged with “conspiracy to subvert state power” and face up to life in prison in a case widely considered a bellwether for Hong Kong’s political environment.
Photo: AFP
They were accused of organizing, joining and supporting an unofficial primary election in July 2020 to coordinate candidates for the territory’s legislature.
Judge Andrew Chan (陳慶偉) said that the verdict would be delivered “tentatively three, four months” after the final round of legal arguments, which is expected to last 10 days.
Protesting outside the court, Alexandra Wong (王鳳瑤), a well-known activist nicknamed “Grandma Wong,” waved the Union Jack and held a sign reading: “Free 47, Free all.”
“I hope they can be released immediately. The 47 only wanted to fight for genuine universal suffrage for us,” Wong said. There were “no other motives, not to take the power.”
Prosecutors said the defendants planned to seize a legislative majority to force Hong Kong authorities to meet the “five demands” raised by protesters in 2019.
The demands included launching an independent inquiry into alleged police brutality against protesters and gaining universal suffrage in elections for the territory’s chief executive and lawmakers.
Prosecutors also say the defendants intended to veto the government’s budgets with the aim of forcing the chief executive to step down.
Lead prosecutor Jonathan Man (萬德豪) yesterday argued that the defendants should be convicted even if no violence was involved, as it had become easier for people to manipulate public communication channels to subvert state power.
“We are talking about a conspiracy to have legislators vetoing the budget indiscriminately,” Man said.
The national security legislation was “meant to be a strong law” and should not be narrowly interpreted, he added.
Randy Shek (石書銘), one of the defense lawyers, responded that the defendants were seeking democratic elections for Hong Kong’s leader and lawmakers in line with the territory’s constitutional text, not trying to topple the government.
“What they did was simply seeking to hold power to account, that cannot be subversive,” Shek told the court.
“They relied on a constitutional mechanism to bring about policy changes, that cannot be subversive,” he said.
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