45 pro-democracy activists sentenced to prison in Hong Kong

A court in Hong Kong sentenced dozens of pro-democracy activists to 4 to 10 years in prison Tuesday, Nov. 19, in the single largest trial under a national security law introduced in 2020. Critics say it has been used by Beijing to all but eliminate political dissent in the Chinese territory. 

The court convicted 45 of 47 defendants of conspiracy to commit subversion for organizing or participating in an unofficial primary election for the city legislature in 2020, despite government warnings not to. The other two defendants were acquitted earlier this year. 

Legal scholar Benny Tai, a 60-year-old former law professor at the University of Hong Kong whom judges said was the “mastermind” behind the election, got the longest sentence of 10 years.

In May, Matthew Miller, the spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State, issued a statement saying, “The defendants were subjected to a politically motivated prosecution and jailed simply for peacefully participating in political activities protected under the Basic Law of Hong Kong…Instead of imposing harsh sentences that would further erode confidence in Hong Kong’s judicial system, Hong Kong authorities should immediately release these unjustly detained individuals.”