Hong Kong Court Convicts 14 of 16 Pro-Democracy Activists of Subversion in Landmark Security Trial

May 30, 2024, 03:04 AM

A Hong Kong court has convicted 14 pro-democracy activists of subversion in the city's largest national security trial. The trial, which lasted 118 days from February to December 2023, involved 47 opposition figures arrested in 2021 under a China-imposed national security law. Among the 16 defendants who pleaded not guilty, 14 were found guilty, while 2 were acquitted. The verdicts are seen as a significant blow to Hong Kong's opposition democratic movement and its reputation as a global financial hub. Some of the convicted activists, including Joshua Wong, Gwyneth Ho, Leung Kwok-hung, and Helena Wong Pik-wan, could face life imprisonment. The trial is part of a broader crackdown on political dissent in the Chinese territory since the imposition of the national security law by Beijing.