The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government, legal practitioners and residents of Hong Kong have expressed strong support for the court’s ruling on the city’s largest-ever subversion case and have voiced objections to Western interference in Hong Kong’s judicial process.
Their remarks came after a poll released on Wednesday indicated that Hong Kong residents overwhelmingly support the ruling.
The survey, conducted by an online news outlet, revealed that 86.8 percent of the 2,818 participants backed the High Court’s decision to imprison 45 of the 47 defendants for terms ranging from 50 months to 10 years, with 11.4 percent remaining undecided. Only 1.8 percent expressed disapproval of the ruling.
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The 47 defendants, of whom 45 were convicted, were charged in connection with the illegal primaries in 2020 — a plot intended to help the opposition camp achieve a legislative majority and effectively paralyze the HKSAR government.
More than half of the respondents characterized the defendants’ actions as "extremely serious", with 34 percent deeming them "serious".
An additional 2.3 percent chose not to specify their opinion, while only 12.5 percent labeled the offenses as "unserious", the survey found.
The ruling has drawn criticism and threats of sanctions from some Western politicians, anti-China organizations, and media outlets — a stance condemned by the HKSAR government in a statement on Wednesday.
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The government accused these entities of "distorting the truth and maliciously attacking" Hong Kong’s judicial decisions.
About 86.5 percent of those polled objected to such groundless criticisms and sanctions.
On Wednesday, the HKSAR government issued a news release condemning untruthful smears and unscrupulous attacks regarding the ruling.
A government spokesperson said that after 118 days of open hearings and thorough consideration of legal principles and evidence, the court had earlier delivered a verdict rationale comprising over 300 pages, supported by two annexes totaling over 400 pages summarizing evidence from both the prosecution and the defense.
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"Any reasonable and fair person who reviews the court’s judgment would be convinced of the severity of the crimes and the guilt of the convicted individuals, supported by irrefutable evidence," the spokesperson said.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the Small and Medium Law Firms Association of Hong Kong (SAMLAW) said the punishments issued following the case were generally proportionate to the seriousness of the crimes.
The association also voiced support for the Judiciary and the judges concerned for fearlessly handling the case and remaining free from the interference and smear campaigns launched by external forces.
Maggie Chan Man-ki, founder of SAMLAW and a legislator in Hong Kong, said "The entire case highlights the serious nature of the defendants’ crimes, which endangered Hong Kong’s prosperity, stability, and rule of law, clearly revealing their anti-China and chaos-inducing intentions".
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“They must be severely punished in accordance with the law to reflect the unity of the crime and punishment principle,” she added.
Nicolas Chan Hiu-fung, a Hong Kong deputy to the National People’s Congress — the nation’s top legislature — urged young people to consider the trial as a lesson, enhance their law-abiding consciousness and be wary of cheaters and illicit activities to avoid being misled.
