Hong Kong democracy advocate Joshua Wong (黃之鋒) is to plead guilty in the territory’s largest national security case, local media reported, after being detained for more than a year without a trial date under the China-drafted law.
The already-jailed former student leader is among 29 democracy advocates expected to enter guilty verdicts over subversion charges linked to a primary held in July 2020, according to local media outlets including HK01.
Former law professor Benny Tai, protest organizer Jimmy Sham and ex-lawmaker Claudia Mo were among those expected to accept the charge.
Photo: Reuters
The 18 other defendants, including former lawmaker “Long Hair” Leung Kwok-hung, would plead not guilty, local media reported.
News of the expected guilty pleas came a day after it was revealed that Hong Kong Secretary for Justice Paul Lam (林定國) had ordered the case to be tried by a panel of three handpicked security law judges rather than a jury.
Most of the plea intentions, were entered between June 1 and July 6, local newspaper Ming Pao reported.
Details from those court appearances were only made public yesterday when reporting restrictions on the case were lifted, after a court in a separate landmark security case the day before overturned such limits.
The 47 advocates are being prosecuted for their role in organizing a vote that drew more than 600,000 voters to choose candidates for Legislative Council elections. Authorities claim that the event was part of an illegal attempt to paralyze the government.
About 30 defendants have been held without bail for more than a year under the higher threshold set by a National Security Law that Beijing imposed on Hong Kong in June 2020 and carries sentences as long as life in prison.
Hong Kong courts have revoked bail for two defendants in the past year. Advocate Owen Chow (鄒家成) was rearrested on Jan. 13 for social media posts contravening his release terms of “not making any speech that can be reasonably deemed as endangering national security,” local media reported.
Former union representative Winnie Yu (余慧明) was sent back to jail on March 8 for the same reason, they said.
Only two defendants have so far fought security law charges at trial. Both were convicted and handed sentences as long as nine years in prison, illustrating the high stakes for those who challenge the government.
Last year, pro-democracy advocate Tony Chung (鍾翰林), who pleaded guilty, was sentenced to three years and four months in prison, the lightest sentence handed down.
National security police have made about 215 arrests, from which the government has sought to prosecute at least 114 people.
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