Hong Kong’s High Court on Thursday found 14 activists guilty of “subversion” in the city’s biggest trial against pro-democracy campaigners since China imposed a national security law (NSL).
The trial was held without a jury and the judges were chosen from a pool of jurists handpicked by Hong Kong’s leader John Lee.
Australia voiced “strong objections” and deep concern over the conviction, vowing to raise the fate of a condemned Australian at the “highest levels”.
The British Consulate-General told AFP the UK was concerned “over the erosion of meaningful political opposition in Hong Kong.”
Democrats argued the NSL would infringe on freedoms guaranteed when Hong Kong was handed back to China by the British in 1997.
The democrats maintain it was an unofficial attempt to select the strongest candidates for a citywide election in a bid to win a historic majority in Hong Kong’s legislature.
The original article contains 522 words, the summary contains 142 words. Saved 73%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!