Subversion trial: 47 opposition figures appear in HK court

Activist Benny Tai Yiu-ting and 46 other opposition figures appeared before the court on Monday (May 31) to face charges of conspiracy to commit subversion.

The 39 men and eight women – aged between 23 and 64 – also include ex-lawmakers Alvin Yeung Ngok-kiu and Leung Kwok-hung as well as activists Joshua Wong Chi-fung and Jimmy Sham Tsz-kit.

Judge So Wai-tak, chief magistrate of the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts, will adjudicate the case.

According to the charge laid against them by police, the defendants were linked to an unauthorized self-organized primary in July 2020.

The independently organized ballot aimed to pick candidates that were most likely to win in the Legislative Council election, in the hope of obtaining an absolute majority in the city's legislature. They would then vote down the government's budget proposal to pressure Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor to resign, according to police.

Originally scheduled for Sept 6, 2020, the LegCo election was postponed and rescheduled later to Dec 19, 2021, due to the breakout of COVID-19 pandemic.

(Source: China Daily)