Hong Kong Releases Four Jailed Pro-Democracy Lawmakers After Serving Partial Sentences

Hadisur Rahman, JadeTimes Staff

H. Rahman is a Jadetimes news reporter covering Asia

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Image Source: Ayeshea Perera

Four prominent pro-democracy figures were released from prison in Hong Kong on Tuesday, marking a significant development in the city’s largest national security trial to date. The former lawmakers Claudia Mo, Kwok Ka-ki, Jeremy Tam, and Gary Fan had each been sentenced to four years and two months in prison but were granted early release due to time already served since their arrests in 2021.

The four were part of the so-called “Hong Kong 47,” a group of opposition leaders charged with conspiring to subvert state power under the sweeping National Security Law (NSL) imposed by Beijing in 2020. Their alleged crime: organizing an unofficial primary election in a bid to strengthen the pro-democracy bloc’s chances in local elections.

Authorities argued that the primary aimed to paralyze government operations by winning a legislative majority and blocking key legislation. Critics, however, said the charges represented a political crackdown and a severe erosion of the city’s freedoms.

Mo, 67, affectionately known as “Auntie Mo,” was a veteran journalist and a founding member of the now-disbanded Civic Party. She served in the Legislative Council (LegCo) from 2012 until 2020, when she and 14 other lawmakers resigned in protest over Beijing’s disqualification of several colleagues. Kwok and Tam were also former Civic Party lawmakers, while Fan co-founded the Neo Democrats.

The Hong Kong 47 case stems from the aftermath of the 2019 pro-democracy protests, which were sparked by a proposed extradition law and evolved into a broader movement demanding greater autonomy and democratic reforms. Beijing responded with the NSL, which criminalizes acts deemed to be secession, subversion, terrorism, or collusion with foreign forces.

While authorities defend the law as essential for restoring order, critics argue it has extinguished dissent and destroyed Hong Kong’s promised autonomy under the "one country, two systems" framework. The mass arrests and convictions under the law have drawn condemnation from the United States, the United Kingdom, and other international observers.

A total of 45 individuals from the Hong Kong 47 were convicted of subversion charges; two were acquitted last May. The group included high-profile figures such as Joshua Wong and Benny Tai, key leaders of the 2014 Umbrella Movement.

The early release of Mo, Kwok, Tam, and Fan is unlikely to soften international criticism of Hong Kong’s political climate or China’s increasing influence over the city’s legal and legislative systems.