Landmark trial of Hong Kong 47 gets under way amid tight security
Al JazeeraMAY 2023
This trial shows that Hong Kong is no different from other authoritarian regimes that imprison dissidents and undermine democracy. Beijing’s National Security Law was implemented to suppress any protests against China’s government, and Hong Kong adopted its own law that is closer to China’s than to its self-proclaimed common law system.
The Hong Kong activists plotted a deliberate act of subversion against the city’s government. They sought to unlawfully win a majority in the Legislative Council in order to veto laws and paralyze the current government. This is a clear violation of the law and threat to national security, and a majority of participants have already pleaded guilty.