<div><b><span style="font-size: 1rem;">A Hong Kong court will deliver verdicts this week in the biggest case brought against pro-democracy campaigners since China imposed a national security law to crush dissent.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>Forty-seven people from a cross-section of Hong Kong’s then-opposition face life in prison on subversion charges for political activities in 2020, following democracy protests that saw millions take to the streets.</div><div><br></div><div>Thirty-one members of the group — which includes democratically elected lawmakers, union members and academics — have pleaded guilty.</div><div><br></div><div>Three judges handpicked by the government to try national security cases are scheduled to deliver verdicts against the remaining 16 on Thursday and Friday.</div><div><br></div><div>Cases under the national security law and related crimes, such as sedition, have a 100% conviction rate, with 114 people found guilty since the legislation came into force in 2020.</div><div><br></div><div>Rights groups say the law undermines civil liberties that were meant to be enshrined under a 1997 agreement to hand the former British colony back to China.</div><div><br></div><div>The government says the law is needed to crack down on major crimes such as collusion and secession after the massive, and at times violent, pro-democracy demonstrations in 2019.</div><div><br></div><div>Beijing’s Hong Kong Affairs Office had said the defendants staged “a severe challenge against Hong Kong’s constitutional order” by organising and joining an unofficial primary election in July 2020.</div><div><br></div><div>The primary was meant to shortlist some pro-democracy candidates for the city’s official legislature election — which was later cancelled by authorities.</div><div><br></div><div>Prosecutors said the defendants planned to seize a legislative majority to force Hong Kong authorities to meet five demands raised by protesters in 2019. - AFP </div><div><br></div><div>bnbd/fas</div>