The Hong Kong Court of Appeal recently rejected the appeals of 12 defendants in the high-profile ‘Hong Kong 47’ case, prompting strong criticism from Amnesty International. Fernando Cheung, spokesperson for Amnesty International Hong Kong Overseas, condemned the decision, highlighting the politically motivated nature of the prosecutions and the ongoing erosion of human rights in the city. The defendants, he noted, have been serving lengthy sentences for exercising fundamental freedoms, including the rights to expression, association, and participation in public affairs.
Since the introduction of Hong Kong’s ‘Article 23’ law in 2024, at least eight defendants have reportedly been denied early release based on new and vague national security justifications, a departure from previous long-standing practices. Cheung warned that both Article 23 and the Beijing-imposed National Security Law have been used to impose punitive and retroactive measures against dissidents, effectively silencing opposition voices and extending imprisonment for peaceful activism.
The Hong Kong 47 were originally charged under the National Security Law with “conspiracy to commit subversion” due to their involvement in self-organized primaries for the postponed 2020 Legislative Council elections. These primaries, designed to select candidates for the elections, have been treated as a national security threat despite not meeting the high threshold required under international human rights standards.
The recent court ruling is seen as a missed opportunity to address these mass injustices. Human rights advocates argue that peaceful political opposition should not be criminalized, and they continue to call for the immediate and unconditional release of all remaining jailed members of the Hong Kong 47.
Since March 2024, the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance (‘Article 23’) has tightened restrictions on freedoms and allowed authorities to deny early release to prisoners who would have otherwise qualified under the old system, further consolidating control over political dissent in Hong Kong.
