HONG KONG – The hearing of the case where 47 Hong Kong democracy activists have been charged with conspiracy to commit subversion has resumed. The step was taken following a marathon hearing that extended well past midnight before it was adjourned after one of the defendants fainted.
The activists have been accused of organizing and participating in an unofficial primary poll last July aimed at selecting the strongest candidates for a legislative council election that the government later postponed, citing the coronavirus.
On Monday, about 1,000 supporters, dressed in black, gathered outside the West Kowloon courthouse and chanted slogans such as “Liberate Hong Kong, the revolution of our times”, as the defendants, charged under the Chinese-ruled city’s contentious national security law, faced charges after their arrest over the weekend. The images were reminiscent of scenes during anti-government demonstrations that roiled the city in 2019.