Hong Kong court rejects appeal in landmark subversion case

The appellants were among 45 opposition figures sentenced to prison in 2024 for organising an unofficial primary election.Published On 23 Feb 2026The Hong Kong Court of Appeal has dismissed an appeal by jailed democracy campaigners in a high-profile subversion case brought under the Beijing-imposed National Security Law.The verdict on Monday stems from the “Hong Kong 47” case, where many leading pro-democracy activists and politicians ⁠were arrested en masse ⁠for organising an unofficial primary election that authorities deemed to be a subversive plot.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Who is Jimmy Lai, the media mogul convicted in Hong Kong?list 2 of 3Trump urges China’s Xi to free jailed Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lailist 3 of 3Jimmy Lai sentenced: What happened to other HK pro-democracy protesters?end of listForty-five of the defendants were sentenced in 2024 to between four years and 10 years in prison, with the punishments drawing criticism from foreign governments and rights groups.Eleven of the activists who appealed their convictions lost their bids on Monday.They included former lawmakers Leung Kwok-hung, Lam Cheuk-ting, Raymond Chan and Helena Wong, as well as former journalist Gwyneth Ho.All appeals over sentences were also dismissed by the Court of Appeal.Lawrence Lau, a pro-democracy former district councillor, was one of two activists acquitted in the case. Judges upheld his acquittal following an appeal by the prosecution.The cases stem from the aftermath of huge, sometimes violent pro-democracy protests that convulsed Hong Kong from 2019. The following year, in June, Beijing imposed a sweeping National Security Law that snuffed out most dissent in the semi-autonomous city.In July of that year, the pro-democracy camp held its unofficial primary to shortlist candidates for a legislative election later that year.The camp hoped to secure a majority in the legislature so they could then threaten to veto the city budget unless the government accepted demands like universal suffrage and greater police accountability.