HONG KONG – An appeals court in Hong Kong on Monday denied requests from a dozen pro-democracy advocates seeking to overturn their convictions in a significant national security prosecution that observers describe as emblematic of Beijing’s tightening grip on the territory.
The court decision involves the high-profile “Hong Kong 47” prosecution, in which numerous prominent democracy advocates and elected officials were taken into custody during widespread arrests in early 2021. They faced charges of conspiring to undermine state authority. After extensive court proceedings that stretched over years, the vast majority of defendants received prison terms of four to ten years in late 2024, with just two individuals found not guilty.
