Hong Kong starts largest ever trial against pro-democracy activists

Some of Hong Kong's best-known pro-democracy activists went on trial Monday in the biggest prosecution yet under a law imposed by China's ruling Communist Party to crush dissent.

The 18 defendants face life in prison if convicted under a national security law that critics say is eroding the autonomy promised that was promised to Hong Kong whne it was returned to China in 1997.

Its status as a global business center is also under threat.

The defendants are among 47 pro-democracy figures who were arrested in 2021 under the legislation that was imposed following protests in 2019. They were charged in connection with an informal 2020 primary election.

The pro-democracy movement has largely dried up after activists were jailed or went into exile. Growing numbers of young professionals have responded to the erosion of Hong Kong's Western-style civil liberties by leaving for Britain, the United States, and other countries.

• China approves Hong Kong national security law, triggering protests

The primary in 2020 aimed to pick pro-democracy candidates who could win control of the territory's Legislative Council.

Prosecutors accuse them of trying to paralyze Hong Kong's government and topple the city's leader by securing a majority to veto budgets.

"The purpose of the conspiracy is to subvert the state power,” the prosecutor said in his opening statement.

Earlier on, New York Based Human Rights Watch charged that “Hong Kong's biggest national security case is wrapped in legal language, but it's just part of the Chinese government's relentless efforts to smother Hong Kong's democracy movement,” said Maya Wang, the organisation's senior China researcher.

“The very real threat of life in prison for peaceful activism shows Beijing's utter contempt for both democratic political processes and the rule of law.”

The prosecution involves many of the city's most prominent activists. Here is a brief look at some of the defendants and how they have pled:

Joshua Wong

One of the most recognisable faces of Hong Kong's democracy movement, the 26-year-old has been a thorn in Beijing's side for more than a decade after shooting to prominence during student-led protests.

The subject of a Netflix documentary that depicted him in a David-and-Goliath-style fight, Wong has been in and out of prison for his involvement in various demonstrations, including huge and often violent democracy rallies that rocked Hong Kong in 2019.

Wong, who was denied bail, has pleaded guilty in this case and through supporters wrote on Facebook ahead of the trial: "I can feel that I am not facing the sentence coming this year alone".

Benny Tai

A devout Christian law professor, Tai was previously jailed for helping lead peaceful democracy protests in 2014 and lost his job because of that conviction.

An advocate of non-violence, he has embraced civil disobedience and is seen by authorities as the mastermind behind the primary election that sparked this case.

In their opening statement, the prosecution accused Tai of "initiating the scheme".

His idea was to unite Hong Kong's disparate democracy groups into a single coalition that could win a majority for the first time.

Halfway through the campaign, Beijing's new security law was imposed and the primary was declared an illegal attempt to subvert the government.

Tai, 58, is currently out on bail and pleaded guilty.

Leung Kwok-hung

Over the years, avid Marxist and democracy campaigner Leung -- better known as "Long Hair" -- has been in and out of prison for his activism, first against colonial Britain and then China's increasingly authoritarian rule.

A stalwart figure at the city's rallies, he could often be seen at the front of marches, leading chants or songs critical of Beijing through his megaphone.

He and his wife, fellow activist Chan Po-ying, founded the League of Social Democrats as a more radical wing of the pro-democracy camp, advocating street actions.

Leung, 66, was denied bail and pleaded not guilty, telling the court on Monday there was no crime to plead to. "Resisting tyranny is not a crime," he said.

Claudia Mo

A journalist turned lawmaker, Mo was working as a correspondent for Agence France-Presse when she covered the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, a moment she cites as sparking her political awakening.

She helped found the liberal Civic Party in 2006 and won a seat in 2012.

Known as "Auntie Mo" to her supporters, the 66-year-old was arrested before dawn two years ago while at home with her husband, the British journalist and historian Philip Bowring.

She was denied bail due partially to her exchanges with Western media being deemed a security threat, and has pleaded guilty.

During an interview with RFI in January 2020, just months before Beijing issued the new security regulations, she speculated that Beijing "would not dare to send the army into the streets of Hong Kong" like they did during anti-government protests in Beijing in June 1989. "How could they repeat what they did in Tiananmen? There'd be too much explaining to do."

Instead Beijing used existing British colonial legislation to muzzle dissent. Mo and the many pro-democracy leaders with her, were effectively silenced without the use of the army.  

Owen Chow

Nursing student Chow was on the frontlines of the 2019 protests before standing in the democracy camp's primary.

A proponent of localism, a movement that focuses on Hong Kong's local identity and autonomy and tends to reject associations with mainland China, Chow refused to pledge allegiance to Beijing when he submitted his nomination form for the legislature election.

His bail was revoked and he has pleaded not guilty, outlining his decision in a Facebook post on Monday.

Evil will always grow more rampant when goodness lapses, so we must insist on what is right."

Gwyneth Ho

Gwyneth Ho, 32, became a hero to the democracy movement for her hours of live reporting on 2019's protests.

She captured footage of government supporters attacking democracy activists at a train station, broadcasting even as the assailants turned on her.

She took part in the primary but was among a dozen candidates disqualified for their political views.

She pleaded not guilty and was refused bail.
(With agencies)