Hong Kong court dismisses appeals of 12 activists over landmark subversion case
Court also upholds acquittal of Lawrence Lau Wai-chung, with Department of Justice to consider appealing ruling
The Court of Appeal on Monday also upheld the acquittal of barrister Lawrence Lau Wai-chung, one of the 47 activists prosecuted in the landmark case of conspiracy to subvert state power through their involvement in the unofficial primary.
Hours after the verdict, the government said the Department of Justice would carefully study the judgment and consider whether to appeal Lau’s acquittal.
A government spokesman also said the court’s dismissal of the appeals against convictions and sentences “clearly demonstrated that anyone who attempts to subvert state power or endanger national security will ultimately face punishment in accordance with the law”.
A lower court ruled in 2024 that the primary election scheme constituted a “grand strategy of subversion” in breach of the Beijing-imposed national security law, as the defendants intended to create a “constitutional crisis” by indiscriminately blocking the government’s budgets.
Among the 45 activists whose sentences ranged from four years and two months to 10 years, 12 sought to overturn their convictions or have their sentences reduced.