'Hong Kong 47': Reaction to jailings of democrats in landmark national security trial

By Jessie Pang and James Pomfret

HONG KONG (Reuters) -Hong Kong's High Court on Tuesday sentenced 45 leading democrats to jail terms of up to 10 years in what critics say is a major blow to the financial hub's rule of law.

Under a Beijing-imposed national security law which carries sentences of up to life in prison, 47 pro-democracy activists were arrested and charged in 2021 with conspiracy to commit subversion.

The following are comments on the landmark ruling:

"We are gravely concerned by the use of these security laws and the breadth to criminalize conduct protected by human rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association. We will continue to engage with the Chinese authorities, as we have done in the past. Nothing changes in that respect."

"China's imposition of the National Security Law (NSL) in Hong Kong has eroded the rights and freedoms of Hong Kongers. Today's sentencing is a clear demonstration of the Hong Kong authorities' use of the NSL to criminalise political dissent."

"The Australian Government is gravely concerned by the sentence handed down in Hong Kong for Australian citizen Mr Gordon Ng and other members of the NSL47 ... We call for China to cease suppression of freedoms of expression, assembly, media and civil society, consistent with the Human Rights Committee and Special Procedure recommendations, including the repeal of the National Security Law in Hong Kong."

(CECC)

"The Hong Kong government is seeking U.S. investments in the very same week that it brutally silences free speech and jails pro-democracy advocates. The Chinese Communist Party is asking U.S. financial institutions to subsidize their repression in Hong Kong ... Instead of investment, the Biden Administration must sanction the judges, police, and prosecutors engaged in the political prosecutions of the HK 47 (democrats) and Jimmy Lai."

(IPAC),

"(IPAC) denounce their convictions as a travesty of justice. These 45 men and women are suffering political persecution for organising a democratic primary election. This is clear evidence, if any more were needed, of the precipitous decline in the rule of law in Hong Kong. No credible system would countenance such ludicrously harsh sentences for people who merely wanted to vote."

"The sentencing to prison terms on 19 November of 45 pro-democracy politicians and activists in the case commonly known as 'Hong Kong 47' is another unprecedented blow against fundamental freedoms, democratic participation and pluralism in Hong Kong."

"The U.S. government condemns the continuous prosecution of individuals here in Hong Kong who are expressing their political views ... exercising their freedom of speech."

"Hong Kong is a society governed by the rule of law ... It is a basic principle that laws must be followed and violations must held accountable. No one can engage in illegal activities in the name of democracy and attempt to escape legal punishment."

"I think overall we considered that the level of sentencing reflected the severity of the offense."

"Living in an uneasy environment we must have hope ... I am absolutely not optimistic about the sentence, but I see hope, because even though the day of freedom is still far away, we finally see the end."

"We should actively care to express our feelings, put forward our views, raise some questions or give some suggestions based on ... the conclusion of this case. I think this is what everyone needs to do because as a member of society, these cases are not only about legal interests. In fact, everyone has a chance to be affected."

"Running in an election and trying to win it is now a crime that can lead to a decade in prison in Hong Kong. Today's harsh sentences against dozens of prominent democracy activists reflect just how fast Hong Kong's civil liberties and judicial independence have nosedived in the past four years since the Chinese government imposed the draconian National Security Law."

"We have moved into an era where healthy civic debate, the space for public discourse, and the normal interactions and sometimes frictions between civil societies and governments, is no longer seen as acceptable (in Hong Kong)."

(SOAS) IN LONDON:

"It doesn't mean that people in Hong Kong are not still aspiring for democracy ... But as an organised (democratic) movement, it has effectively been put to a stop. The range of people who are being caught up in this network of 47 shows that even people who are known to be very, very moderate indeed can be caught in the net."

"The damage to Hongkongers' faith in the courts and the rule of law has already been done in how the case has been handled so far, in terms of the mass arrests, stringent bail requirements, and over 3.5 years of detention for some of the defendants."

(Reporting by Jessie Pang, James Pomfret and Joyce Zhou in Hong Kong; Emma Farge in Geneva; Sachin Ravikumar in London; Joe Cash in Beijing; Michael Martina in Washington; Kirsty Needham in Sydney; Editing by Kim Coghill and Mark Potter)

Under grey skies outside the court where 45 Hong Kong democracy campaigners were jailed for subversion on Tuesday, supporters were both despondent and defiant as a trial encapsulating the city's erosion of political freedoms finally came to a close.The case was the largest prosecuted under the city's 2020 national security law, imposed by Beijing after massive, sometimes violent pro-democracy protests the previous year. The group - made up of some of the city's best-known political opposition figures - was arrested in early 2021, and many have been detained ever since. "Hong Kong has fallen for three years and eight months, how can I feel?" said businessman Jerome Lau, who was among people queuing for public seating in the morning. "Not even just three years and eight months, this has been going on from 2019 till now."At dawn, more than 200 people were in line, umbrellas held up against the cold morning drizzle and surrounded by a heavy police presence."There are many sad moments for me, and I feel people are risking their lives for democracy here," said Sophie Gan, 34, a healthcare worker who lives in Germany."It's quite difficult" to have hope about Hong Kong's democratic future, she said.The vice-chair of Hong Kong's last standing opposition party was outside court on Tuesday too. Dickson Chau said that jailing the campaigners en masse would be "depressing" and would give "a clear political signal" that dissent from Beijing incurs a heavy price. "I wonder if this would prompt more people to emigrate, or those who left wouldn't dare to come back to visit friends," he said. Law student Jack said he believed already "people's passion for political participation has dissipated" in Hong Kong's increasingly restrictive environment.- 'Restore faith through action' -The 45 defendants were charged after they held an informal primary election in 2020 to better their chances of winning a pro-democracy legislative majority.On Tuesday, only five spectators were allowed in the courtroom's public gallery as most spots were taken up by defendants, their family members and lawyers.Judge Andrew Chan repeatedly asked for quiet as people in the courtroom reacted to the jail terms, ranging from four years and two months to 10 years.  "Today's sentencing is already suppression. No matter if the sentence is four years or ten years, it should not stand," activist Figo Chan told journalists afterwards. Outside, the mother of one defendant silently held up a placard reading: "The righteous shall live, the wicked shall perish."She was taken away in a police van within seconds, according to video footage from Hong Kong media.Many defendants remained defiant too, releasing statements to coincide with the sentencing as they could not speak in court.Former Hong Kong journalist Gwyneth Ho's statement included an impassioned plea to Hong Kongers: "Restore faith in democratic values through action".Ho also called it "comical" for authorities to cast their informal poll as subversion."Following such logic, one may as well claim that democracies around the world suffer subversion attempts every 4 to 6 years," she wrote. "In a 1984-esque reality, though, democratization - or just calling for it - amounts to subversion of state power."Hong Kong authorities have defended their use of the security law as being necessary to restore order following the 2019 protests.One of the convicted defendants, who requested anonymity to protect their family, earlier told AFP that the case was a "test of Hong Kong's rule of law and the city's future"."I don't think this is the ending... As long as you're still alive, there is hope. The key is whether the spirit can be passed on."su-hol/reb/dhc