Closing arguments begin in trial of 47 Democrats

On 29 November, the closing arguments in the landmark trial of the 47 Democrats began. The long-anticipated trial opened on Monday 6 February 2023 and concerns the 47 democrats who organised or participated in “unofficial” primaries in July 2020. As a result of these primaries, 55 people were arrested in January 2021, in the largest crackdown since the National Security Law (NSL) was passed. 

Of these, 47 have been accused of “conspiracy to commit subversion” and are now facing trial. The majority of defendants have been in detention for 2 years, as only 13 have been granted bail. 31 of the defendants have pleaded guilty. 

This is the largest national security trial to date and one of the most significant trials since the NSL was passed in 2020. Although the trial is not yet finished, it will set a precedent for a broad interpretation of the NSL and cement its impact on civil society in Hong Kong. 

The defendants participating in the closing arguments include Benny Tai, Joshua Wong, Gwyneth Ho, Winnie Yu, and Gordon Ng. A full list and biographies of the 47 is available on the Hong Kong Watch Political Prisoners Database. 

The United Nations has repeatedly called for the repeal and suspension of the National Security Law, including at the review of Hong Kong’s ICCPR obligations, where the UN Human Rights Committee was “deeply concerned about the overly broad interpretation” of the National Security Law and recommended that the HKSAR repeal the law and refrain from applying it in the meantime; at the CESCR review which concluded that the National Security Law “has de facto abolished the independence of the judiciary” and raised concerns about independence of the judiciary, the right to fair trial, academic freedom and artistic freedom; and at the CEDAW review which raised concerns about “over-prioritizing public order and security concerns when considering restrictions on democratic manifestations” which violate women’s rights.

Benedict Rogers, co-founder and Chief Executive of Hong Kong Watch, said:

“This week marks the beginning of the end for the trial of the Hong Kong 47. This case that was supposed to last for four months and has now lasted for ten months, with hand-picked judges by Chief Executive John Lee, is the greatest example of the Chinese Communist Party’s ongoing destruction of judicial independence in Hong Kong. China once promised, and has failed to deliver, basic rights and freedoms to the people of Hong Kong under international law. 

We will closely monitor this final phase of the trial of the Hong Kong 47 while continuing to press the UK, EU, US and Canadian governments to call out Hong Kong officials for persecuting Hong Kong’s leading pro-democracy activists, journalists and politicians. The international community should also place pressure on foreign judges who continue to sit on, and thus endorse, Hong Kong’s sham courts.”

47人案開始結案陳詞 香港監察促各國政府譴責港府迫害港人 籲國際社會向留任外籍法官施壓

週三（29日），47人案再次開庭，控辯雙方開始結案陳詞。47名民主派人士涉於2020年7月組織及參與立法會初選，被控《國家安全法》下的「串謀顛覆國家政權」罪。案件於2023年2月6日開審，甚具標誌意義。

47名被告中只有13人獲准保釋，其餘大多數已還押兩年。當中31人認罪，16人不認罪。

這是迄今最大型的國安案，也是自2020年《國安法》通過以來最重大的案件之一。儘管審訊尚未結束，但將為《國安法》的廣泛詮釋開創先例，並加強其對香港民間社會的影響。

作結案陳詞的被告包括戴耀廷、黃之鋒、何桂藍、余慧明和吳政亨。「香港監察政治犯資料庫」載有47人的完整名單和簡介。

香港監察共同創辦人兼行政總監羅傑斯（Benedict Rogers）表示：

「香港47人案這星期開始步向尾聲。案件審期原預計為四個月，至今卻已持續十個月，法官更由特首李家超親自挑選，是中共持續破壞香港司法獨立的最佳例子。中國曾經承諾按國際法賦予香港人基本權利和自由，惟未能兌現。

我們會密切關注47人案的最後階段，同時繼續敦促英國、歐盟、美國和加拿大政府譴責香港官員迫害香港社運人士、記者和政界人士。另外，外籍法官繼續留任香港法院，變相認可其有名無實的存在，國際社會理應向他們施壓。」