Hong Kong 47: Beijing hits out at countries attacking guilty verdict in national security trial
- US, UK, European Union express ‘concern’ over verdict landmark national security case
- ‘[The central government] firmly opposes certain country’s interference in China’s internal affairs and attempt to smear and undermine Hong Kong’s rule of law by using relevant cases,’ China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman says
Beijing has hit out at countries for meddling in China’s internal affairs as Western countries expressed concern over the verdict in a landmark national security case concerning subversion charges against 47 opposition figures.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Mao Ning said at the department’s regular press conference on Thursday that the central government firmly supported the city’s judiciary and law enforcement agencies to carry out their duties, but decried foreign interference into the city’s rule of law.
“[The central government] firmly opposes certain country’s interference in China’s internal affairs and attempts to smear and undermine Hong Kong’s rule of law by using relevant cases,” Mao said.
On Thursday, a panel of three hand-picked judges handed down a guilty verdict to 14 of 16 opposition figures who had pleaded not guilty to subversion charges over their role in an unofficial Legislative Council “primary” in 2020.
Former district councillors Laurence Lau Wai-chung, a barrister by profession, and Lee Yue-shun were found not guilty, becoming the first to be acquitted under the Beijing-imposed national security law, which came into force four years ago.
The United States, United Kingdom, European Union and Australia have expressed “concern” over the verdict.
