Hong Kong court convicts 14 pro-democracy activists in national security case

Former pro-democracy district councillor Lawrence Lau was acquitted by the court (Chan Long Hei/AP)

Fourteen pro-democracy activists were convicted in Hong Kong’s biggest national security case on Thursday by a court which said their plan to effect change through an unofficial primary election would have undermined the government’s authority and created a constitutional crisis.

After a 2019 protest movement that filled the city’s streets with demonstrators, authorities have all but silenced dissent in Hong Kong through reduced public choice in elections, crackdowns on media and the Beijing-imposed security law under which the activists were convicted.