Hong Kong convicts 14 activists of subversion

BBC:

Hong Kong has found 14 pro-democracy activists guilty of subversion in the largest use yet of a China-imposed National Security Law.

They included former lawmakers Leung Kwok-hung and Helena Wong, journalist-turned-campaigner Gwyneth Ho, and ordinary Hong Kongers who joined the mass protests of 2019 such as nurse Winnie Yu.

They were among the 47 activists charged with trying to “overthrow” the government by organising an unofficial primary in 2020 to pick candidates who can run for office.

They would have “[created] a constitutional crisis for Hong Kong” if they had indeed been elected to the legislature, the court ruled on Thursday.

The three High Court judges Andrew Chan, Alex Lee, and Johnny Chan agreed with the prosecution’s argument that they would have “pursued a course of conduct which was to indiscriminately veto any budgets or refuse to pass any budgets… to be introduced by the government”.

As evidence, the court also cited letters and campaign materials found at the defendants’ homes and on their devices when they were arrested more than three years ago.