Ahead of the appeal hearing of 13 people \u2013 among 45 individuals convicted in a mass trial last year of \u201cconspiring to subvert state power\u201d under Hong Kong\u2019s National Security Law \u2013 Amnesty International\u2019s China Director Sarah Brooks said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe Hong Kong 47 case stands as one of the most shocking examples of the crackdown on human rights in the city. This appeal hearing is a chance for the courts to start righting the wrongs of this unprecedented mass prosecution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cResearch findings we released earlier this month show that<\/a>\u00a0the vast majority of convictions under the National Security Law have targeted legitimate expression. It is appalling that Hong Kong courts could condone a crackdown that leaves more than 80% of defendants wrongfully languishing behind bars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis appeal is a pivotal test\u2014not just for these 13 individuals, but for the future of freedom of expression in Hong Kong. Only by overturning these convictions can Hong Kong\u2019s courts begin to restore the city\u2019s global standing as a place where rights are respected and where people are allowed to peacefully express their views without fear of arrest.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Hong Kong\u2019s largest prosecution under the National Security Law, which was enacted in June 2020,\u00a047 opposition figures were jointly charged<\/a>\u00a0with \u201cconspiracy to commit subversion\u201d. Thirty-one of the 47 pleaded guilty to the charge while 16 pleaded not guilty, two of whom were acquitted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On 14 July 2025, Hong Kong\u2019s Court of Appeal will hear the appeal of 13 of those convicted. In the same hearing, Hong Kong\u2019s Department of Justice will also appeal against the acquittal of one of the defendants, Lawrence Lau. The hearing is expected to take 10 days to conclude.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The charges against the \u201cHong Kong 47\u201d 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-19 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 chief executive at the time, 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\nBackground<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n