Two others became the first to be acquitted since the national security law's implementation in 2020.
HONG KONG - Fourteen Hong Kong pro-democracy activists were found guilty and two were acquitted on May 30 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.
Two of the 16 accused, barrister Lawrence Lau and former district councillor Lee Yue-shun, were cleared of the conspiracy to subvert state power charge under the national security law. Scores of police officers and vehicles patrolled the High Court area as prison vehicles began bringing the 16 defendants to court. Some supporters queued overnight to secure a spot.
Mass pro-democracy protests erupted in Hong Kong in 2019 over new security laws planned by Beijing, which democrats argued infringed 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.
Those convicted also include former democratic lawmakers Leung Kwok-hung, Lam Cheuk-ting and Helena Wong. It was not yet clear whether any would appeal, with court adjourned until an afternoon session.“Although he might not be well emotionally and still not yet adapted to prison life... he always told me that he’s innocent,” Leung’s wife Chan Po-ying told Reuters.
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