Three Hong Kong pro-democracy figures have been released after serving four years and five months in prison – the latest democrats convicted in the city’s largest national security case to be freed.
Frankie Fung, a pro-democracy activist, returned to his Kowloon City home in a police vehicle on Monday morning, according to an HKFP reporter at the scene. Fung was seen carrying a bag of belongings and did not respond to questions from reporters.
Two other activists, Carol Ng and Lau Chak-fung, arrived home in police vehicles on Monday morning, local media reported. Lau was seen entering his residential building carrying two bags of belongings, also without responding to questions from reporters.
The trio, who had been detained since 2021, were sentenced in November to four years and five months in jail after pleading guilty to subversion under the Beijing-imposed national security law.
They were among a group of 47 opposition figures charged with the offence. A total of 45 were convicted in May last year, while two were acquitted.
The case revolves around an unofficial primary election in July 2020 that aimed to help the pro-democracy camp win a controlling majority in Hong Kong’s legislature.
The 47 opposition figures were accused of conspiring to subvert state power after they planned that, once a legislative majority was obtained, they would threaten to indiscriminately veto the government budget to force it to accede to political demands, such as universal suffrage.
In the verdict, three trial judges ruled the scheme would create a “constitutional crisis.”
After Fung, Ng and Lau were released on Monday, a total of 11 democrats in the case have completed their prison terms, including ex-lawmaker Claudia Mo in late April and LGBTQ activist Jimmy Sham in late May.
Meanwhile, 34 others are still serving their sentences, including ex-law professor Benny Tai, who was sentenced to 10 years behind bars – the heaviest penalty in the case.
The Court of Appeal earlier this month heard the appeal submissions from 12 democrats in the case, including ex-lawmaker “Long Hair” Leung Kwok-hung and journalist-turned-activist Gwyneth Ho, as well as from the government, which sought to overturn the acquittal of Lawrence Lau.
The judges presiding over the appeals hearing said they would rule within nine months.
Beijing inserted national security legislation directly into Hong Kong’s mini-constitution in June 2020 following a year of pro-democracy protests and unrest. It criminalised subversion, secession, collusion with foreign forces and terrorist acts – broadly defined to include disruption to transport and other infrastructure. The move gave police sweeping new powers and led to hundreds of arrests amid new legal precedents, while dozens of civil society groups disappeared. The authorities say it restored stability and peace to the city, rejecting criticism from trade partners, the UN and NGOs.
