Foreign governments, rights groups criticize Hong Kong's sentencing of 45 pro-democracy activists

Forty-five prominent activists in Hong Kong have been sentenced to up to 10 years in jail, sparking criticism from foreign governments and rights groups

HONG KONG -- Forty-five prominent activists in Hong Kong were sentenced to jail for up to 10 years on Tuesday, sparking criticism from foreign governments and rights groups.

The democracy advocates were among 47 people charged under a Beijing-imposed national security law in 2021 for their involvement in an unofficial primary election to pick opposition candidates. In the city's biggest national security case to date, they were accused of agreeing to veto government-proposed budgets indiscriminately after potentially securing a legislative majority to force a dissolution of the legislature and then the ouster of the city’s leader.

The case involved pro-democracy figures across the spectrum. Thirty-one of them pleaded guilty to the charge of conspiracy to commit subversion. Fourteen others were convicted following a long trial. Two were acquitted.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said her government was “gravely concerned” by the sentences for Australian citizen Gordon Ng and the other activists. Wong said Australia has expressed strong objections to the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities over the continuing broad application of national security legislation.

Taiwan presidential office spokesperson Karen Kuo said democracy is not a crime and condemned the Chinese government for using what she called unjust procedures to suppress the political participation and freedom of speech of Hong Kong pro-democracy figures.

The sentencing "not only breaks the promises of ‘50 years unchanged’ and ‘high degree of autonomy,’ but further proves that ‘One Country, Two Systems’ is unfeasible," she said in a statement.

When Hong Kong returned from British to Chinese rule in 1997, Beijing promised to retain its Western-style civil liberties for 50 years under the governing principle of “one country, two systems.”

The U.S. Consulate in Hong Kong said the U.S. strongly condemned the sentences, saying the defendants were aggressively prosecuted and jailed for participating in normal political activity protected under the city's mini-constitution.

“We call on (Beijing) and Hong Kong authorities to cease politically motivated prosecutions of Hong Kong citizens and to immediately release all political prisoners and individuals jailed for their peaceful advocacy for rights and freedoms,” it said in a statement.

Hong Kong's last British governor, Chris Patten, said the sentencing was “not only an affront to the people of Hong Kong, but those who value rights and freedoms around the world" in a statement.

He condemned the “sham” sentences, calling on the British government not to allow the results of the case to go unnoticed. He said the activists were an integral part of the city's pro-democracy movement.

Human Rights Watch associate China director Maya Wang said, “running in an election and trying to win it is now a crime that can lead to a decade in prison in Hong Kong.”

Wang said the harsh sentences reflect how fast Hong Kong's civil liberties and judicial independence have nosedived in the past four years since the security law was introduced.