The defendants, including politicians and activists, aimed to gain control of the legislature, a strategy that Beijing deemed subversive.

By Austin Ramzy | The Wall Street Journal

Summary

HONG KONG — Four years ago, a college professor named Benny Tai devised a strategy for Hong Kong’s pro-democracy opposition to gain control of the local legislature and provoke a confrontation with Beijing by demanding the resignation of the central government’s appointed leader. While the opposition viewed this as a legitimate political tactic within the framework of Hong Kong’s constitution, the Chinese Communist Party interpreted it as a subversive plot.

In January 2021, local authorities arrested dozens of prominent activists and politicians, charging 47 of them with subversion under a stringent national security law imposed the previous year. On Tuesday, Benny Tai was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in this plan.

Other notable figures received significant sentences as well: Joshua Wong, a leader of the 2014 Umbrella Movement, was sentenced to four years and eight months, while former journalist and legislator Claudia Mo received four years and two months, one of the lighter sentences. The remaining defendants faced sentences ranging from just over four years to more than seven years.

The trial underscores Beijing’s firm grip on Hong Kong, a former British colony, which has seen a dramatic decline in political dissent and the absence of an opposition in its legislative council.

Eric Yan-Ho Lai, a research fellow at the Georgetown Center for Asian Law, told reporters, “This trial has imprisoned all the opposition, pro-democracy leaders… It’s unprecedented, as Beijing had previously tolerated political dissent in Hong Kong for decades.”

The crackdown continues, with Hong Kong passing its own security law in March that broadened definitions of state secrets and imposed severe penalties for treason and espionage.

The long-running national security trial of Jimmy Lai, founder of the pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper, is set to resume soon, with Lai expected to testify in his own defense.

Benny Tai, a former law professor at the University of Hong Kong, was a key strategist for the opposition. He played a significant role in the 2014 Umbrella Movement, which involved mass sit-ins and protests against electoral restrictions. His plan aimed to force a confrontation with Beijing, advocating for resistance rather than submission.

Despite winning a landslide victory in the 2019 district council elections, the opposition faced challenges in a subsequent primary held in July 2020. Drawing more than 600,000 voters, the primary was viewed as a threat by Beijing, which later postponed the general election and changed the rules to exclude opposition candidates.

Tai and 30 others eventually pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit subversion, while the remaining 16 of the 37 charged continued to trial. In May, a three-judge panel found 14 defendants guilty, citing that their plan could have triggered a constitutional crisis in Hong Kong.

During sentencing, Tai’s defense argued that he had stepped back from a leadership role after the national security law was enacted, but the judges labeled him the “mastermind” of the operation, resulting in his 10-year sentence.

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