In HK’s largest prosecution of this sort, 47 were charged with conspiracy to commit subversion
Sarah Brooks, Amnesty International’s China director, has called the appeal hearing – arising from last year’s mass prosecution of charges of conspiring to subvert state power under Hong Kong’s national security law – the courts’ opportunity to begin “righting the wrongs.”
With 47 people jointly charged with conspiracy to commit subversion, this is Hong Kong’s largest prosecution under its national security law, according to a news release from Amnesty International Canada.
The news release noted that 31 pleaded guilty, 16 pleaded not guilty, and two received acquittals. The appeal hearing involves 13 of the 45 convicted.
“The Hong Kong 47 case stands as one of the most shocking examples of the crackdown on human rights in the city,” Brooks said in the news release.
According to Brooks, data recently shared by Amnesty International revealed that most convictions under Hong Kong’s national security law related to legitimate expression.
“It is appalling that Hong Kong courts could condone a crackdown that leaves more than 80% of defendants wrongfully languishing behind bars,” Brooks said in the news release. “This appeal is a pivotal test—not just for these 13 individuals, but for the future of freedom of expression in Hong Kong.”
Brooks said reversing the convictions would help Hong Kong’s courts restore Hong Kong’s reputation worldwide as a place that upholds rights and allows individuals to express their opinions peacefully without the threat of arrest.
Amnesty International Canada’s news release explained the context of the appeal hearing arising from the charges against the “Hong Kong 47.”
The charges revolved around 47 opposition figures’ organization and participation in “primaries” for the 2020 legislative council elections. After the authorities postponed the polls based on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, China’s government introduced an electoral system that vetted candidates.
Carrie Lam, Hong Kong’s chief executive from 2017–22, considered the “primaries” illegal and cautioned the 47 individuals regarding potential violations of the national security law, enacted in June 2020.
In its news release, Amnesty International said political parties’ self-organized “primaries” to choose electoral candidates did not genuinely threaten Hong Kong’s existence, territorial integrity, or political independence and did not rise to the high threshold necessary for a national security application under international human rights standards.
According to Amnesty International, the research it released on the fifth anniversary of the national security law’s enactment last month showed that the authorities wrongly criminalized and charged over 80 percent of those convicted under the statute. The data further revealed that authorities arrested over 250 individuals for breaching the national security law.
In its news release, Amnesty International lamented that the human rights situation in Hong Kong has dramatically worsened since 2020. In 2024, Hong Kong’s parliament enacted national security legislation that, according to Amnesty International, repressed and silenced opposing opinions even more.
Hong Kong’s appeal court was scheduled to begin addressing the appeal of the 13 appellants on July 14, with the hearing expected to run for 10 days. Amnesty International noted that Hong Kong’s justice department was also challenging one of the acquittals.
