A Hong Kong court has sentenced dozens of pro-democracy leaders to years in jail for subversion, following a controversial national security trial. Benny Tai, 60, and Joshua Wong, 28, were among the so-called Hong Kong 47 group of activists and lawmakers who were involved in a plan to pick opposition candidates for local elections.

Hong Kong's High Court on Tuesday jailed a leading pro-democracy activist for 10 years at the start of sentencing in a years-long national security trial that has damaged the city's once feisty pro-democracy movement and drawn global criticism.

A Hong Kong court has handed prison sentences to 45 democracy advocates in the city's largest trial under the 2020 national security law, with rights groups condemning the verdict.View on euronews

A Hong Kong court sentenced pro-democracy leader Benny Tai to 10 years in prison, escalating the use of 2020’s national security laws. Tai was accused of leading a conspiracy to “overthrow” the government by blocking the budget through elected lawmakers.

But many like Owen Chow, Ventus Lau and Tiffany Yuen represented a new generation of vocal activists. Mr Lau and Mr Chow were among hundreds who stormed LegCo and spray-painted Hong Kong's emblem in what became a pivotal moment in the 2019 protests.

The democracy advocates were prosecuted under the 2020 national security law for their roles in an unofficial primary election.

Forty-five prominent activists in Hong Kong have been sentenced to up to 10 years in jail, sparking criticism from foreign governments and rights groups

Forty-five ex-lawmakers and activists were sentenced to four to 10 years in prison Tuesday in Hong Kong’s biggest national security case under a Beijing-imposed law that crushed a once-thriving pro-democracy movement.