HONG KONG — Fourteen Hong Kong pro-democracy activists were found guilty and two were acquitted on Thursday in a landmark subversion trial that critics say could deal another blow to the city’s rule of law and its reputation as a global financial hub.
The verdicts in Hong Kong’s biggest trial against the democratic opposition come more than three years after police arrested 47 democrats in dawn raids at homes across the city. They were charged with conspiracy to commit subversion under a national security law imposed by China.
Sentencing will come at a later date for those found guilty, with prison terms ranging from three years to life. Thirty-one defendants pleaded guilty, and four of them have become prosecution witnesses.
The U.S. and some other countries have criticised the trial as politically motivated, calling for the accused to be immediately released. Diplomats from several countries including Britain and the European Union attended the hearing.
“Today’s verdict will only further tarnish Hong Kong’s international reputation. It sends a message that Hong Kongers can no longer safely and meaningfully participate in peaceful political debate,” Britain’s Minister for the Indo-Pacific Anne Marie Trevelyan said.
Australia Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a statement her government was “deeply concerned” with the verdicts and would continue to seek consular access to Gordon Ng, an Australian citizen and one of those convicted.
Security was tight around the High Court, with scores of police officers, some with dogs, and vehicles patrolling the area. Some supporters queued overnight to secure a spot.
“I came because it’s a critical stage and a historic moment” for Hong Kong, said a man who gave only his surname, Chiu, 35, who began waiting at midnight. The defendants “all stood up for themselves and for Hong Kong people hoping to make a change”.
The defendants are accused of a “vicious plot” to paralyse government in the former British colony and force the city’s leader to resign through a pre-selection ballot in a July 2020 citywide election. The democrats maintain it was an unofficial attempt to select the strongest candidates in a bid to win a historic majority in Hong Kong’s legislature.