Landmark trial for 47 Hong Kong democrats enters final stretch before sentencing

25/6/2024 13:26

        Mitigation pleas for Hong Kong's biggest ever national security trial against the city's democratic opposition kicked off on Monday, in what is expected to be the final stage before sentencing that could see some defendants jailed for life.
        
        The 47 democrats were among those arrested in early 2021 for taking part in an unofficial, non-binding poll to select candidates for a legislative election. They were charged with "conspiracy to commit subversion" under a China-imposed national security law.
        
        The marathon case has drawn criticism from countries including Britain, the U.S. and Australia, which say the national security laws have been used to stifle dissent and curb freedoms guaranteed when the financial hub was handed back to China in 1997.
        
        Chinese and Hong Kong authorities say the national security law is necessary and has brought stability.
        
        Most of the democrats have been denied bail and remanded in custody for more than three years in what critics say has been a departure from common law traditions.