Second group of Hong Kong democrats freed after 4 years in jail

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HONG KONG – Four people jailed in the landmark Hong Kong national security trial of “47 democrats” accused of conspiracy to commit subversion were freed on Friday, May 30, after more than four years behind bars, the second group to be released in a month.

Among those freed was long-time political and LGBTQ activist Jimmy Sham, who also led one of Hong Kong’s largest pro-democracy groups, the Civil Human Rights Front, which disbanded in 2021.

“Let me spend some time with my family,” Sham said after arriving at his home in the Kowloon district of Jordan.

CHRF was one of the largest pro-democracy groups in the former British colony and helped to organize million-strong marches during pro-democracy protests in 2019 that turned violent at times and had a major impact on business and tourism.

The others who were released were Kinda Li, Roy Tam, and Henry Wong.

At the end of April, former pro-democracy lawmakers Claudia Mo, Kwok Ka-ki, Jeremy Tam and Gary Fan were released from three separate prisons across Hong Kong around dawn.

Since the 2019 protests, which disrupted Hong Kong for most of that year, China has cracked down on the democratic opposition as well as liberal civil society and media outlets under sweeping national security laws that were imposed in 2020.

The 47 pro-democracy campaigners were arrested and charged in early 2021 with conspiracy to commit subversion under a Beijing-imposed national law which carries sentences of up to life in prison.

Forty-five of the defendants were convicted following a marathon trial, and given sentences of as long as 10 years. Only two were acquitted.

The democrats were found guilty of organising an unofficial “primary election” in 2020 to select their candidates for a legislative election that was later postponed. Prosecutors accused the activists of plotting to paralyse the government by engaging in potentially disruptive acts had they been elected.

Some Western governments including the U.S. called the trial politically motivated and had demanded the democrats be freed.

Hong Kong and Beijing say all are equal under the national security laws and the democrats received a fair trial.

(Reporting By Joyce Zhou and Tyrone Siu; Writing by Anne Marie Roantree; Editing by Michael Perry and Kate Mayberry)