World
The 47 Pro-Democracy Figures in Hong Kong’s Largest National Security Trial (Published 2023)
A court in Hong Kong convicted 14 pro-democracy activists on Thursday in a landmark political trial. They and dozens of other activists who had previously pleaded guilty now face potential prison time, highlighting the sweeping power of a national security law Beijing imposed to tighten its grip on the Chinese territory.
The trial centered on 47 opposition figures — politicians, academics and activists — whom the authorities accused of conspiracy to commit subversion. Here’s a look at who they are.
Joshua Wong, 27, became a prominent activist at age 14.
Benny Tai, 59, was a professor of law at the University of Hong Kong.
Twelve were elected lawmakers, who had often used their presence in the legislature to protest China’s encroachment on Hong Kong’s autonomy.
Mo had served as a lawmaker for eight years and is known as “Auntie Mo.”
Better known as “Long Hair,” Leung had been a mainstay of the opposition for nearly two decades.
Chan was Hong Kong’s first openly gay lawmaker.
Twenty-one had been elected district officials, including younger activists who were voted in after months of antigovernment protests in 2019.
Sham was a leader of an activist group that organized huge pro-democracy rallies throughout 2019.
Others were prominent activists who had worked on various social causes.
Ng was a former flight attendant who became a union leader.
Ho was a journalist who rose to fame in 2019 when, during her livestream of a mob attack on protesters, she herself was beaten by thugs.
Wong was a student leader who began her activism when she was in high school.
Lengthy Detentions Without Trial
The 47 defendants were charged in February 2021 with subversion for holding or taking part in an unofficial primary vote to select opposition candidates to run in elections.
Unlike other types of offenses, national security cases impose a high threshold for bail, which, in effect, lets the authorities hold defendants for months or even years before trial. Critics say that amounts to a presumption that defendants are guilty.
In hearings before the trial, 16 contested the charges and 31 pleaded guilty, including Benny Tai and Joshua Wong. On Thursday, the court in Hong Kong acquitted two of the defendants, Lawrence Lau, a barrister, and Lee Yue-shun, a social worker.
The charges carry prison sentences that range from less than three years to life.
The defendants and their lawyers are barred from commenting on the case. But legal experts say the democracy proponents are probably under enormous pressure to plead guilty because of the lengthy detentions, dwindling financial resources and the long odds of winning in a court modeled after China’s authoritarian system.
“The process is designed to be as painful as possible,” said Samuel Bickett, a lawyer and activist based in Washington, D.C., who was jailed in Hong Kong after scuffling with a plainclothes police officer in 2019.
The Transformation of Hong Kong’s Political Landscape
Starting in June 2019, Hong Kong was engulfed in widespread protests calling for greater freedom from China.. To quell the unrest, Beijing imposed a national security law in June 2020, days before the 47 democrats held the primary election that would lead to their arrests months later.
Most of the 47 have been jailed ever since. Their arrests effectively muted the city’s once-vocal opposition. China also imposed a drastic overhaul of election rules for Hong Kong that effectively barred pro-democracy candidates from running for seats in the legislature.
Protests began
Mass antigovernment protests began and escalated in intensity over months.
National security law enacted
The new law bans vaguely defined crimes of secession, subversion and terrorism, with a potential sentence of life in prison.
Pro-democracy primary
Pro-democracy candidates held a primary vote ahead of the upcoming Legislative Council election. The 47 defendants helped organize or participated in this event.
Original date of the election
47 people charged, most denied bail
They were charged with “conspiracy to commit subversion,” for organizing and participating in the pro-democracy primary. Most were denied bail and kept behind bars as a long legal process began.
New election rules announced
China announced new rules for Hong Kong elections, limiting candidates to only those deemed loyal to Beijing.
“Patriots-only” election takes place
More than 30 defendants were detained. Most of them had been jailed for almost two years before the trial even began.
Closing arguments concluded
Hong Kong passed its own national security law
A court began issuing verdicts
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Protesters on Sunday set a Tesla vehicle on fire and smashed windows at a United Nations agency in Geneva as they marched against a Group of Seven summit set to kick off across the border in France, prompting police to fire tear gas.
Around 20,000 people gathered for a march that was initially peaceful before some protesters later damaged what they described as symbols of capitalism and multilateralism, including the parked Tesla and the UN agency.
Demonstrators grabbed bricks from the ground to throw at police, as tear gas was deployed in Geneva’s streets, witnesses told Reuters.
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A Tesla car burns during a protest against the upcoming G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, in France, in Geneva, Switzerland, June 14, 2026. (REUTERS/Denis Balibouse)
There have been previous protests at G7 gatherings over the years, with many demonstrators using the summits to speak out against capitalism, globalization, climate change and inequality.
Demonstrators in the latest protest said they were marching against the G7 as a symbol of concentrated political and economic power.
This comes after Tesla owner Elon Musk became the world’s first trillionaire last week.
“To me, it’s a meeting of the rich that shows once again how the rich can become even richer while the poor are left behind,” protestor Pippa Saugy told Reuters.
People hold a protest against the upcoming G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains in France, in Geneva, Switzerland, June 14, 2026. (REUTERS/Umit Bektas)
The G7 summit, scheduled to take place from Monday to Wednesday in Évian-les-Bains, on the shore of Lake Geneva, will feature the leaders of France, Britain, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan and the U.S., as well as the European Union.
The conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine are expected to dominate the agenda. Leaders will likely attempt to avoid a clash with U.S. President Donald Trump after he announced a tentative agreement aimed at ending the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran.
Businesses in Geneva were boarded up and hundreds of riot police were deployed in the streets over concerns about violence.
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People attend a protest against the upcoming G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains in France, in Geneva, Switzerland, June 14, 2026. (REUTERS/Umit Bektas)
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“This is an attempt to frighten demonstrators, to frighten people and discourage them from coming out to protest,” protester Mattia Piccard told Reuters.
Another demonstrator said she wanted to raise the issue of gender inequality during the march against the G7.
“The values represented by the G7 are completely misogynistic, and they contribute to inequality,” Clélia Colin told the outlet.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Published on
At least 58 states and territories are contaminated by anti-personnel mines, the UN rights chief said on Tuesday, with heavy civilian casualties in Myanmar, Syria, Afghanistan and Ukraine.
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“It is deeply troubling that almost 30 years since the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Treaty was adopted, these explosive weapons continue to kill and injure people, often decades after they were placed,” Volker Türk said in a statement.
“It is essential that all states recommit to putting an end to the production, use and transfer of these weapons and redouble their efforts to cooperate in clearing mines already placed.”
Türk produced a report on the situation, drawing on information from governments, NGOs, humanitarian organisations and civil society.
At least 945 people were killed and 4,325 injured by landmines and explosive remnants of war in 2024 alone, it said, citing the Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor.
“Among victims where the status as military or civilian was known, civilians made up approximately 90% of all recorded casualties in 2024,” the report said.
The states with the highest number of casualties in 2024 were Myanmar with 2,029, Syria with 1,015, then Afghanistan with 624, followed by Ukraine, Nigeria, Mali, Yemen and Burkina Faso, which each recorded more than 200 casualties.
In a separate statement, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines said mines and explosive remnants of war, including cluster munitions, killed or injured more than 5,000 people in 2025, again with the vast majority being civilians.
Türk’s office noted that children make up more than 40% of all civilian casualties of anti-personnel mines recorded since 1999.
Besides killing and maiming, anti-personnel mines turn areas into no-go zones, Türk’s office said, hampering rights, prolonging displacement and stopping land from being used for agriculture.
While the Ottawa mine ban convention has 162 states parties, Türk noted that other countries with considerable stockpiles are not yet members.
Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland recently withdrew and Ukraine is suspending its implementation.
“States that have not yet ratified the treaty should promptly do so and those that have withdrawn should quickly rejoin,” said Türk.
He hailed Lebanon’s recent decision to join the Ottawa convention, despite the war between Israel and Hezbollah.
Türk’s report said that in the seven years to 2025, contributions to the UN Voluntary Trust Fund for Assistance in Mine Action sharply decreased from $125 million to $46 million (€107 million to €39 million).
Additional sources • AFP
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