How a primary election led to activists being arrested in Hong Kong’s biggest national security case

By KANIS LEUNG
Associated Press

HONG KONG (AP) — Verdicts in Hong Kong’s largest national security case to date will be delivered as early as Thursday. The case involves some of the city’s best-known pro-democracy activists. In 2021, 47 activists were charged with conspiracy to commit subversion for their involvement in an unofficial primary election. Sixteen of the 47 defendants who expect to hear their fate this week could face up to life in prison if convicted under a Beijing-imposed national security law. The mass prosecution has crushed the city’s once-thriving political activism. Critics argue the law has drastically eroded freedoms that are vital to maintaining Hong Kong’s status as a global financial hub.