Hong Kong Convicts 14 in Largest-Yet National Security Trial

A Hong Kong court found 14 opposition figures guilty in the city’s largest-yet national security trial that targeted scores of pro-democracy activists.

Judges in the once-freewheeling finance hub convicted the defendants of subversion charges under a 2020 national security law imposed by Beijing in the wake of mass street protests calling for greater freedoms.

A total of 47 people, including prominent activist Joshua Wong and former lawmaker Claudia Mo, were accused of conspiring to subvert state power by holding unofficial primary elections. Sixteen contested the charges and received verdicts Thursday.

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The defendants had hoped to secure a majority in the former British colony’s legislature. That would have given them the power to block the city leader’s agenda, and even theoretically force the chief executive to resign by rejecting budget proposals.

“This is a trial of the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong,” said Eric Lai, research fellow at Georgetown Center for Asian Law. “The court verdict would set examples of whether non-violent assemblies or civil voting, activities that have a long tradition in Hong Kong, are now deemed national security crimes.”

Two of the defendants, former district councilors Lawrence Lau and Lee Yu-shun, were found not guilty.

The verdicts signaled the government’s determination to crack down on political dissent, after China’s sweeping national security law silenced street protests and pressured dozens of opposition groups to disband. They were handed down by three High Court judges selected from a panel handpicked by the city’s former leader.

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More than 200 members of public watched the trial at the court in western Kowloon, with some lining up overnight. Diplomats including those from the E.U., France and U.S. were among foreign representatives observing the…