45 pro-democracy activists face sentencing in Hong Kong. Here are some of them

HONG KONG (AP) — Dozens of prominent Hong Kong pro-democracy activists are scheduled to be sentenced Tuesday. biggest case under one national security law Critics say political activism has been crushed in the semi-autonomous Chinese city.

Convictions of 45 activists These developments under Beijing-imposed legislation are widely seen as part of China’s crackdown that is destroying hopes for a more democratic Hong Kong. They face up to life imprisonment.

Activists were among 47 people was accused of Conspiracy to commit subversion due to their participation in a terrorist organization in 2021 unofficial primary election electing opposition candidates. They were accused of agreeing to indiscriminately veto government-proposed budgets after securing a legislative majority to force the legislature to dissolve and then remove the city’s leader from office.

Three government-approved judges ruled that a plan to bring about political change through unofficial primaries in 2020 would undermine the government’s authority and create a constitutional crisis.

31 of the activists pleaded guilty, while 14 were found guilty after a trial in May. Two people were acquitted. Those who plead guilty have a higher chance of receiving shorter prison sentences.

Some of the convicted activists expressed remorse and apologized and requested that the sentences be commuted. Others remained defiant.

Here are profiles of some of the leading activists.

As the wave of anti-government protests continues in 2019, Benny Tai, a former law professor The University of Hong Kong co-organised primaries in which 610,000 voters (more than 13% of the city’s registered voters) participated. The primary was intended to elect pro-democracy candidates who would later compete in official elections.

The judges said Tai stated that gaining a legislative majority was a “constitutional weapon of mass destruction” that would allow the pro-democracy camp to veto government budgets. Under the city’s Basic Law, or mini-constitution, the city leader can dissolve the legislature if the budget is unacceptable. However, if the budget is blocked again by the next legislature, the leader must resign.

Judges said Tai aimed to “undermine, destroy or overthrow” Hong Kong’s “existing political system and structure”.

Tai admitted the accusation. His lawyer, who sought a shorter sentence, said Tai had always supported non-violence and believed his actions were legal.

Tai was not always considered a threat by the authorities. He was a member of an advisory committee that helped collect views on the draft Basic Law before the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997.

In 2001, the government awarded him a medal of honor for promoting civic education, but this medal was withdrawn in 2022.

Tai is perhaps best known as the city’s 2014 co-founder. Occupy MovementDemonstrators occupied the streets and brought traffic to a halt in some areas for nearly 80 days, demanding direct elections for the city’s leader.

Joshua Wong rose to fame in 2012 when a high school student in Hong Kong led protests against the introduction of national education in schools in the city. Two years later, he rose to worldwide fame as the leader of the Occupy Movement.

In 2016, Wong founded a political party called “Demosisto” with his young activist friends. Nathan Law And Agnes Chow. In the 2019 pro-democracy movement, Wong helped seek support abroad for the protests. His activism led Beijing to label him as an advocate for Hong Kong’s independence who was “begging for intervention” from foreign powers.

Demosisto dissipated when Beijing enacted the security law in 2020. Wong won the primaries, but the government postponed the official elections, citing public health risks during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wong pleaded guilty and asked for a lesser sentence. His lawyer said he hoped “He could leave his past and once he had completed this he would be able to correct himself.

Wu Chi-wai is the former chairman of the Democratic Party, Hong Kong’s largest pro-democracy party, which some activists consider too moderate. In 2006, the government awarded Wu the Medal of Honor for his community service.

Wu pleaded guilty after his lawyer said he had been in public service for more than 30 years and that he and his party were not calling for indiscriminate vetoes of budgets. Three former government officials wrote letters requesting a reduced sentence for him.

Wu’s parents passed away while he was in custody, and he was only able to briefly attend their funerals.

Gordon Ng, a dual Australian and Hong Kong citizen, was initially named by prosecutors as the organizer of the primary, a charge Ng denied. He did not admit his guilt.

In their decision, the judges acknowledged that Ng did not organize the plan and was not a candidate. But they noted his campaign urging voters to support him through social media posts and a front-page ad in the now-shuttered pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper. Jimmy Lai.

Ng, who has asked for lesser sentences, said his support for the primary was linked to his belief that it could bridge differences in the pro-democracy camp that has long been plagued by infighting. He said he never asked candidates to promise to veto budgets.