A court of appeal on Monday dismissed all appeals by 12 pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong’s largest case under a draconian National Security Law (NSL).
The ruling upholds jail terms for 11 former lawmakers and activists.
They took part in an unofficial 2020 primary election, part of the “Hong Kong 47” case where 47 pro-democracy politicians and activists were arrested and charged in 2021 under the Hong Kong’s NSL for alleged “conspiracy to commit subversion.”
Sentences for the convicted range from four to 10 years.
After the ruling, the activists appeared calm, waving to family and supporters.
Two activists had their acquittals confirmed.
Chan Po-Ying, wife of jailed activist Leung Kwok-Hung, said the accused were not granted a fair hearing.
“Even if what they did and what they planned were lawful according to the basic law, the court wouldn’t consider anything else and just judged that they wanted to subvert the state,” she said outside the court.
“It’s ridiculous,” Chan added.
International Condemnation
The ruling has drawn condemnation from rights groups and foreign governments, including the U.S., Britain, and Australia.
Amnesty International on Monday condemned “the grave state of human rights” in Hong Kong, saying the NSL has been weaponised to silent dissidents.
Amnesty International Hong Kong Overseas spokesperson Fernando Cheung said, “The court’s dismissal of these appeals underlines the grave state of human rights in Hong Kong and once again demonstrates the politically motivated nature of the Hong Kong 47 case.”
“None of these 12 defendants committed an internationally recognized crime; they have been serving lengthy sentences simply for exercising their rights to freedom of expression, association and participation in public affairs.”
“It is deeply concerning that, since the introduction of ‘Article 23’ in 2024, at least eight defendants in the Hong Kong 47 case have reportedly been denied early release on the basis of vague and new national security justifications, in contrast to previous long-standing practice in Hong Kong,” Cheung said.
“This shows how ‘Article 23’, like the Beijing-imposed National Security Law used to prosecute the Hong Kong 47, has been weaponized to impose additional punitive and retroactive measures against dissidents, including silencing those already behind bars,” he added.
Cheung also called for the immediate and unconditional release of “all remaining jailed members of the Hong Kong 47.”
The Chinese Communist Party implemented the NSL in 2020 which allows China’s national laws to be valid in Hong Kong.
The NSL criminalises any open speech, verbal promotion or intention of Hong Kong’s secession from China, including subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign organisations.
Since the NSL was implemented, approximately 332 people have been arrested.
There were at least 165 convictions reported as of mid-2025 which included media tycoon Jimmy Lai, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison in February.
A significant number of local media outlets have shut down or ceased operations, often citing the chilling effect on press freedom, pressure from authorities, or concerns for staff safety.
Hong Kong’s press freedom plummeted to 140 out of a total of 180 countries in 2025, from 58th place in 2019 before the implementation of NSL, according to the World Press Freedom Index 2025 by Reporter Without Borders (RSF).
“Once a bastion of press freedom, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China has suffered an unprecedented series of setbacks since 2020, when Beijing adopted a National Security Law aimed at silencing independent voices,” the report remarked.
China’s press freedom ranked at the bottom three at 178th place, with 112 journalists and three media workers being detained.
“The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is the world’s largest prison for journalists, and its regime conducts a campaign of repression against journalism and the right to information worldwide,” the report stated.
