Why more than 40 Hong Kong pro-democracy leaders handed long prison terms

More than 40 prominent pro-democracy leaders in Hong Kong have been sentenced to prison terms of up to 10 years for their involvement in a 2020 primary election.

The court ruling on Tuesday marks the most severe crackdown yet on Hong Kong’s political freedoms. Judges described the defendants’ actions as a “massive and well-organised scheme” that threatened the city’s stability.

Authorities claimed that the primary election was part of a broader plan to subvert the government under Beijing’s national security law.

According to CNN, legal scholar Benny Tai received a maximum term of 10 years, while student activist Joshua Wong was handed 4 years and 8 months.

The case, widely referred to as the “Hong Kong 47,” has drawn international condemnation. The United States and Australia have called for the release of political prisoners and the repeal of the controversial law. China’s Foreign Ministry dismissed these criticisms as interference in its internal affairs.

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This landmark sentencing underscores Beijing’s tightening control over Hong Kong, with critics accusing the national security law of eroding the city’s freedoms and silencing dissent.

Since the law’s introduction in 2020, opposition voices have largely been imprisoned or forced into exile, while independent media outlets have been shut down under increasing pressure.

Family members and supporters, some of whom queued outside the court in the rain, watched as the sentences were handed down. Emotional scenes unfolded as relatives waved to the convicted, many of whom had already spent over three years in detention.

Despite the crackdown, observers warn that the move further distances Hong Kong from the freedoms promised under its “one country, two systems” arrangement with Beijing.

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