Hong Kong Court Denies Appeals for 12 Democracy Activists in Mass Trial

A Hong Kong appeals court has denied appeals from 12 pro-democracy activists, maintaining their prison sentences in the controversial "Hong Kong 47" case. The activists were convicted of conspiracy to commit subversion for organizing unofficial primary elections in 2020, drawing international condemnation.

An appeals court in Hong Kong has denied requests from 12 pro-democracy advocates to overturn their convictions, maintaining their prison sentences in what critics describe as evidence of China’s suppression of political opposition in the territory.

The ruling on Monday involved defendants from the widely-watched “Hong Kong 47” case, in which numerous prominent democracy supporters and political figures were taken into custody during mass arrests in early 2021 on charges of conspiring to commit subversion. After extensive court proceedings, the majority of these individuals received prison sentences ranging from four to ten years in late 2024, while two defendants were found not guilty.

International human rights organizations and several nations, including the United States and Britain, have denounced the prosecutions as political persecution targeting Hong Kong’s opposition movement and have demanded the immediate freedom of all detained individuals.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong expressed being “deeply concerned” about the failed appeal of Australian national Gordon Ng, stating that Canberra has “expressed our strong objections to Chinese and Hong Kong authorities on the continuing broad application of national security legislation.”

In their written decision, Judges Jeremy Poon, Derek Pang and Anthea Pang determined that the defendants participated in a plot conceived, promoted and carried out by legal academic Benny Tai to create a “constitutional mass destruction weapon” designed to overthrow Hong Kong’s constitutional framework.

The charges focused on an informal “primary election” that democracy advocates organized in mid-2020 to choose their strongest contenders for legislative council seats.

Prosecutors claimed the democracy supporters were plotting to secure a legislative majority so they could cripple government operations by systematically blocking the city’s yearly budget in an attempt to compel Hong Kong’s chief executive to step down.

Among the 11 democracy advocates whose conviction appeals were rejected were former legislators Helena Wong, Lam Cheuk-ting, Raymond Chan and “Long Hair” Leung Kwok-hung; former district council members Clarisse Yeung, Kalvin Ho and Tat Cheng; and political activists Gwyneth Ho, Owen Chow, Winnie Yu, and Gordon Ng.

The democracy supporters, along with another activist named Prince Wong, were also unsuccessful in challenging their sentences, except for Gwyneth Ho who only contested her conviction.

Following the announcement, the defendants remained composed and gestured to relatives and supporters in attendance.

“What crimes have they committed?” questioned Chan Po-ying, wife of activist Leung Kwok-hung, following the decision. Her comment reflected defense arguments that Hong Kong lawmakers had the legal right to oppose legislation and reject budgets as a legitimate “check and balance” mechanism under the city’s basic law.

Despite widespread international criticism, both Hong Kong and Beijing maintain that the democracy advocates received proper legal proceedings, and argue that a national security law imposed by China in 2020 helped restore stability to Hong Kong following large-scale pro-democracy demonstrations in 2019.

The court stated that any strategy to block the budget without regard to its substance or value represented “clearly an abuse of the power (of legislators).”

However, the judges rejected a government appeal challenging the acquittal of attorney Lawrence Lau, determining he had not publicly and explicitly supported budget vetoing like the other defendants.

Lau informed media representatives he was “happy” with the outcome.

To date, 18 of the 45 convicted democracy supporters have been freed after completing their prison terms.

“By failing to overturn these wrongful convictions and sentences today, the court has missed a critical opportunity to correct this mass injustice,” stated Fernando Cheung, a representative for Amnesty International Hong Kong Overseas.

“Peaceful opposition to a government is not a crime, and all remaining jailed members of the Hong Kong 47 should be released immediately and unconditionally.”