Responding to today\u2019s conviction of 14 Hong Kong opposition figures accused of \u201cconspiring to subvert state power\u201d, Amnesty International\u2019s China Director Sarah Brooks said: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis unprecedented mass conviction is the most ruthless illustration yet of how Hong Kong\u2019s National Security Law is weaponized to silence dissent. It represents a near-total purge of the political opposition and highlights the rapid disintegration of human rights in Hong Kong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTo imprison these men and women, having already kept most of the 47 in pre-trial detention for more than three years, is a brazen injustice. None of those convicted have committed an internationally recognized crime; they have been targeted simply for exercising their rights to freedom of expression, association and participation in public affairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThese convictions also send a chilling message to anyone else in Hong Kong who opposes the actions of the government, namely: stay quiet, or face jail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThroughout this sham trial, the Hong Kong authorities have ignored all calls from Amnesty International and other human rights groups to drop these unjust charges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe onus is now on the international community to join us in demanding the immediate and unconditional release of the 47. It is not a crime to peacefully oppose the government.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Hong Kong\u2019s largest prosecution under the National Security Law, which was enacted in June 2020, all 47 defendants were jointly charged with \u201cconspiracy to commit subversion\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
31 of the 47 have already pleaded guilty to the charge before today\u2019s hearing. Among the remaining 16 individuals who pleaded not guilty, 14 were convicted and 2 were acquitted by the court today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The charges relate to their organization and participation in self-organized \u201cprimaries\u201d for the 2020 Legislative Council elections that were ultimately postponed by authorities on Covid grounds before the Chinese government brought in a new electoral system that strictly vetted who could stand for office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The city\u2019s former chief executive Carrie Lam said the \u201cprimaries\u201d were illegal and warned that they could be in breach of the National Security Law that had been enacted only weeks earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To treat self-organized \u201cprimaries\u201d conducted by political parties to select candidates to put forward for elections as a genuine threat to Hong Kong\u2019s existence, territorial integrity or political independence does not meet the high threshold of application for \u201cnational security\u201d that international human rights standards require. <\/p>\n\n\n\n