HONG KONG: On Thursday, May 30, a Hong Kong court found 14 individuals guilty of subversion in the largest case against pro-democracy activists since China enacted a national security law to quell opposition.
The rulings end a protracted trial in which 47 defendants were accused of planning an unofficial election in 2020, actions the court determined constituted a threat to the government.
On Thursday, fourteen people were found guilty. Along with the other thirty-one guilty pleaders, they risk life in prison. Two were declared not guilty.
A court statement outlining the three judges’ rulings said, “We believe that would lead to a constitutional crisis for Hong Kong.”
Following years of criticism from Western governments over China’s repression of democracy in the former British colony, Britain, Australia, and the European Union I swiftly denounced the verdicts.
The arrests were a part of an effort to end dissent that has changed Hong Kong in recent years, a city that Beijing had promised to allow freedoms when it reclaimed the territory from Britain in 1997.
One of the defendants found not guilty, Lawrence Lau, urged people to continue standing by the other group members. Outside of court, he told reporters, “I hope that everyone will continue to (have) concern for our other friends in the case.
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