HONG KONG (Reuters) -Four people jailed in the landmark Hong Kong national security trial of “47 democrats” accused of conspiracy to commit subversion were freed on Friday after more than four years behind bars, the second group to be released in a month.
Among those freed was long-time political and LGBTQ activist Jimmy Sham, who also led one of Hong Kong’s largest pro-democracy groups, the Civil Human Rights Front, which disbanded in 2021.
CHRF was one of the largest pro-democracy groups in the former British colony and helped to organise million-strong marches during anti-government protests in 2019 that turned violent at times and had a big impact on business and tourism.
The others who were released were Kinda Li, Roy Tam and Henry Wong.
At the end of April, former pro-democracy lawmakers Claudia Mo, Kwok Ka-ki, Jeremy Tam and Gary Fan were released from three separate prisons across Hong Kong around dawn.
Since large and sustained pro-democracy protests erupted in Hong Kong for most of 2019, China has cracked down on the democratic opposition as well as liberal civil society and media outlets under sweeping national security laws.
The 47 pro-democracy campaigners were arrested and charged in early 2021 with conspiracy to commit subversion under a Beijing-imposed national law which carried sentences of up to life in prison.
Forty-five of these were convicted following a marathon trial, with sentences of up to 10 years. Only two were acquitted.
The democrats were found guilty of organising an unofficial “primary election” in 2020 to select candidates for a legislative election. Prosecutors accused the activists of plotting to paralyse the government by engaging in potentially disruptive acts had they been elected.
Some Western governments including the U.S. called the trial politically motivated and had demanded the democrats be freed.
Hong Kong and Beijing, however, say all are equal under the national security laws and the democrats received a fair trial.
(Reporting By Joyce Zhou and Tyrone Siu; Writing by Anne Marie Roantree; Editing by Michael Perry)
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