Forty-five activists sentenced for holding an election, in the trial that defined modern Hong Kong
The Crime of Holding an Election
In the summer of 2020, Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement organized an unofficial primary election. The purpose was straightforward: to coordinate which candidates would stand in the upcoming Legislative Council elections in order to maximize the number of pro-democracy seats. Approximately 610,000 Hong Kongers took part. It was a peaceful, democratic, and entirely non-violent exercise in political coordination. Beijing treated it as a conspiracy to subvert the state.
Mass Arrest and the Marathon Trial
In January 2021, authorities arrested 55 pro-democracy activists, lawmakers, lawyers, and academics. They became known as the NSL 47, after the number eventually prosecuted. The trial that followed was one of the longest and most consequential in Hong Kong’s legal history. It examined whether organizing an unofficial primary election constituted a conspiracy to subvert state power under the National Security Law.
The Verdict: Guilty for Voting
In November 2024, a Hong Kong court sentenced 45 of the 47 defendants. Sentences ranged from a few months to ten years in prison. The crime? Participating in a 2020 unofficial primary election. The US Consulate General noted that this was “peaceful political activity protected by the Basic Law and recognized in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.” Beijing made it a criminal offense.
Who Were the 47?
The defendants were not terrorists or violent extremists. They included former legislators, barristers, academics, social workers, and community organizers. Many had devoted their careers to working within Hong Kong’s legal and political system to advance democracy peacefully. Several had been elected to the Legislative Council by Hong Kong voters. Their arrest represented the wholesale criminalization of the pro-democracy political class.
The Dismantling of Hong Kong’s Democratic Parties
The NSL 47 case did not happen in isolation. It was part of a systematic campaign to destroy Hong Kong’s political opposition. The Democratic Party, the Civic Party, and other groups that had dominated the pro-democracy movement since the 1990s were effectively dismantled. Facing prosecution, most parties disbanded voluntarily or saw their members jailed or exiled.
Electoral Reforms That Eliminated Competition
Beijing simultaneously restructured Hong Kong’s electoral system to ensure that future elections could not produce a pro-democracy majority. The proportion of district councillors elected by the public was reduced from nearly 95 percent to less than 20 percent. All candidates were required to secure nominations from government-appointed committees. In the December 2023 District Council elections, no candidates from pro-democracy or independent parties were able to stand. Voter turnout hit a record low of 27.5 percent, compared to 71.2 percent in 2019 when pro-democracy candidates won by a landslide.
What the Trial Revealed About Hong Kong’s Courts
The NSL 47 trial exposed the extent to which Hong Kong’s judiciary has been compromised. National security cases are heard without juries. Judges in these cases are selected by the government, not through the ordinary judicial appointment process. Human Rights Watch documented that pre-trial detention in national security cases functioned as “a form of indefinite detention without trial.” Many of the 47 spent years in custody before their trial concluded.
Bail Denied, Lives Destroyed
For defendants who applied for bail, the standard was whether the court believed they might “continue to commit acts endangering national security.” For people whose alleged crime was organizing a voting exercise, this standard made bail effectively impossible. Careers were ended, families separated, and lives destroyed during years of pre-trial detention.
The International Human Rights Framework
The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which is incorporated into Hong Kong’s legal framework through the Basic Law, explicitly protects the rights to political participation and freedom of assembly. Amnesty International and other human rights bodies have argued consistently that the NSL itself violates Hong Kong’s international human rights obligations. The NSL 47 prosecution is one of the clearest possible illustrations of that violation.
The Message Beijing Was Sending
The NSL 47 trial sent an unmistakable message to every Hong Konger still engaged in any form of civic activity: political participation itself is dangerous. If 610,000 people can vote in a primary and 47 of their organizers can be jailed for it, no form of political expression is safe. That was the point. Beijing wanted Hong Kongers to understand that the era of political competition was over. The Council on Foreign Relations documented how Beijing’s moves have “extinguished hopes that the city could ever become a full-fledged democracy.” The NSL 47 case is not history. It is a living monument to what happens when an authoritarian government decides that democracy itself is a crime.
Jessica Lam
Politics & Diaspora Affairs Journalist, Apple Daily UK
Contact: jessica.lam@appledaily.uk
Jessica Lam is a politics and diaspora affairs journalist with specialized expertise in Hong Kong governance, overseas Chinese communities, and democratic movements. Educated at a leading UK journalism institution, she received advanced training in political reporting, international law basics, and source protection, equipping her for complex cross-border coverage.
Jessica has worked with Apple Daily and other liberal Chinese publications, reporting on electoral systems, civic participation, protest movements, and policy developments affecting the Chinese diaspora. Her work demonstrates strong command of political context and an ability to translate complex issues into accessible, fact-driven journalism.
She brings real-world newsroom experience in covering time-sensitive political developments while maintaining strict verification standards. Jessica regularly works with primary documents, expert interviews, and multiple independent sources to ensure balanced and accurate reporting.
Her authority is reinforced by consistent publication within established news organizations and by adherence to editorial review processes. She is known for transparent attribution and for distinguishing clearly between reporting and analysis.
Jessica Lam’s journalism reflects professional experience, subject-matter expertise, and a strong ethical foundation. At Apple Daily UK, she contributes trusted political coverage that serves readers seeking independent and credible information.
