Eleven Hong Kong 47 defendants win top court appeal bid
HKFP · 1 SOURCESabout 1 hour ago2 MIN
Summary
Eleven pro-democracy figures jailed in the landmark Hong Kong 47 national security case have secured permission to take their appeals to Hong Kong’s top court. The Court of Appeal said the issues raised merit consideration by the Court of Final Appeal, especially because it will be the first time the city’s apex court examines them in this context
Key Points
- The Court of Appeal issued a certificate on Monday allowing 11 jailed democrats to appeal onward to the Court of Final Appeal
- The appellate panel was led by Chief Judge of the High Court Jeremy Poon, who said the appeals merit top-court consideration
- The 11 include Clarisse Yeung, Helena Wong, Owen Chow, Winnie Yu, Gwyneth Ho, Lam Cheuk-ting, Gordon Ng, Cheng Tat-hung, Kalvin Ho, Raymond Chan and Leung Kwok-hung
- The case stems from a 2020 unofficial primary, after which 45 defendants were convicted in May 2024 of conspiracy to commit subversion, while two were acquitted
- Twelve defendants had challenged their convictions or sentences, or both, but the Court of Appeal rejected those bids in February; it also rejected the government’s challenge to Lawrence Lau’s acquittal
Why It Matters
The ruling sends a core legal dispute in Hong Kong’s biggest national security prosecution to the Court of Final Appeal, where judges will consider issues the appellate court said deserve review by the apex court. For Hong Kong readers, the next stage will be closely watched because it concerns how the national security law is applied to political organising and election-related strategy