Hong Kong, China: Hong Kong jailed most prominent pro-democracy figures. All 45 defendants have been convicted in the city’s largest trial under its sweeping National Security Law. Benny Tai, who is alleged to be the “mastermind” has received the longest prison time – 10 years. Tai’s jail term is the longest yet handed out under the law, which was imposed by Beijing in 2020 to quash dissent after massive, sometimes violent pro-democracy protests the year before.

The jailed are among 47 people, known as the “Hong Kong 47”, who were charged in 2021 under the punitive National Security Law (NSL) with conspiracy to commit subversion over their involvement in pre-election primaries held in 2020 ahead of the Hong Kong general election. All the arrested were some of the most public of the resistance to a Beijing-led crackdown on dissent and political freedom in Hong Kong.

The apprehended were activists, legislators, campaigners and councillors from the pro-democracy camp of Hong Kong’s previously vibrant political scene. The case is the largest by number of defendants since the NSL was passed. All the 47 were arrested in early 2021, in a series of dawn raids on homes and offices that shocked the city.

Also Read: Hong Kong Extortion: 59 Victims, Over HK$1.9 Million Lost in Naked Chat Scams

Benny Tai is a legal academic and activist who pleaded guilty. He was sentenced to jail for his role as an organiser of the primaries. He was accused of being the “mastermind” behind a plan for the city’s pro-democracy camp to win a majority in the city’s general election, and then block bills and eventually force the dissolution of the legislature and resignation of the chief executive.

The order to apprehend the activists were ordered by three government picked judges. The said the planning was was a violation of Hong Kong’s mini-constitution, the Basic Law, and an act of conspiracy to commit subversion under the NSL.

The case witnessed intense public interest. The queue for members of the public to get inside the West Kowloon magistrates court started over the weekend and numbered several hundred people by Tuesday. Some who had been in the line for a day or more were accused by bystanders of being paid to queue and take a seat ticket but not go into court, a practice that has come under increasing public scrutiny for political cases.

Heavy police patrolling was deployed near the court on the day of the hearing. The police ushered the crowd into a line that stretched down the block and folded back on itself. Officers were seen searching several people.

Western governments, human rights organisations and legal groups have criticised the prosecution since its beginning, characterising it as a politically motivated attack on the pro-democracy opposition.

Also Read: The Costliest And Cheapest Cities In The World: Mercer Report

US “strongly condemns” the sentencing. A spokesperson for the US consulate said that the defendants were “aggressively prosecuted and jailed for peacefully participating in normal political activity”.

China and Hong Kong claims that the security law restored order after the 2019 protests and have warned against “interference” from other countries.

Dennis, a former district councillor, lined up at 4am to support the convicted, many of them his friends. Dennis has been able to visit some of his friends in jail over the years.

“I think quite a number of them are quite depressed about their future. So I think I have to come and give a little support”, quoted The Guardian.

Further towards the front of the queue, Jerome Lau, 74, said he had visited many of his jailed friends in Stanley prison. “Just for me to wake up early on a rainy day, compared to what they’re suffering inside the prison, it’s nothing at all”.

(With inputs from agencies)