HONG KONG (AP) – Two former Hong Kong lawmakers pleaded guilty to charges of illegal assembly on Tuesday, when a trial was opened for them and seven other prominent democracy activists in what is seen as a crackdown on dissent in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.
Activists are accused of organizing and attending an illegal assembly during massive anti-government protests in 2019. Among them are Martin Lee, an 82-year-old veteran of the Hong Kong democracy movement, and Jimmy Lai, a newspaper editor who is detained without bail on other charges related to his pro-democracy activities.
The two who pleaded guilty were Au Nok-hin and Leung Yiu-chung, both former members of the Hong Kong legislature. Au pleaded guilty to both charges, while Leung pleaded guilty only to attending an illegal assembly. Prosecutors dropped the organizational charge against Leung.
The other seven pleaded not guilty. The charges stem from a protest on August 18, 2019.
Before the trial, supporters and several of the accused met outside the courtroom. One banner read, “Peaceful Assembly is not a Crime; Shame on Political Prosecution. “
Lee Cheuk-yan, another ex-congressman who is among the defendants, said the law has become an instrument of political repression. “It is very sad to witness the deterioration of the rule of law in Hong Kong in a government out of fear,” he said.
Hong Kong was shaken by months of protests in the second half of 2019, prompted by a government bill that would have allowed suspected criminals to be extradited for trial in mainland China. The bill was withdrawn, but the protests expanded to include full democracy and other demands and became increasingly violent.
The nine who appeared in court on Tuesday are the first to go to trial among some 15 well-known activists who were arrested in April last year. The arrests have been condemned by the United States and other countries, which are increasingly at odds with China because of its Hong Kong policy.
The Chinese legislature then passed a national security law for Hong Kong in June that further cracked down on dissidents. The Chinese government said the law was necessary to restore order to the city after last year’s protests. He sees foreign criticism as interfering with the country’s internal affairs.