Forty-five ex-lawmakers and activists have been sentenced to four to 10 years in prison in Hong Kong’s biggest national security case under a Beijing-imposed law that crushed a once-thriving pro-democracy movement. The defendants were prosecuted in 2021 for their roles in an unofficial primary election under the 2020 national security law. They were accused of attempting to paralyze Hong Kong’s government and force the city’s leader to resign by aiming to win a legislative majority and using it to block government budgets indiscriminately. The 45 defendants received prison terms on Tuesday ranging from four years and two months to 10 years. Legal scholar Benny Tai was given the longest sentence and accused of being the mastermind.
