The Australian government has expressed concerns following the conviction of 14 Hong Kong pro-democracy activists, including Australian dual citizen Gordon Ng, in a landmark subversion trial.
Critics say the case could deal another blow to the city's rule of law and its reputation as a global financial hub.
The verdicts handed down on Thursday in Hong Kong's biggest trial against democratic opposition come more than three years after police arrested 47 democrats in mass dawn raids at homes across the city.
They were charged with conspiracy to commit subversion under a China-imposed national security law.
Only two people, former district councillors, were acquitted of the charges.
Sentencing will come at a later date for those found guilty, with prison terms ranging from three years to life for the national security offence.
Thirty-one defendants pleaded guilty, and four of them have become prosecution witnesses.
Gordon Ng, 45, moved from Hong Kong to Australia as a child where he became a citizen, considering himself a "Sydneysider".
In a letter written in custody, Mr Ng said he was missing Australia.
He had been living in Hong Kong for 15 years when he was arrested, according to a friend.
Australian officials have been denied access to Mr Ng "because the individual is deemed to be a Chinese citizen under China's citizenship laws, which do not recognise dual nationality".
In a statement on Thursday, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the Australian government was "deeply concerned" and would continue to raise consular and human rights concerns about Mr Ng's case directly with the Hong Kong and Chinese governments.
"We also continue to request consular access to Mr Ng from Hong Kong authorities," she said.
"Noting Mr Ng has avenues of appeal available to him, I will not comment further on his case."
Senator Wong said Australia had expressed strong objections to Hong Kong about the application of its national security legislation to arrest and pressure pro-democracy figures, opposition groups, media, trade unions and civil society.
"We know that the application of these laws also has implications for individuals outside of Hong Kong, including in Australia," she said.
"The systemic erosion of Hong Kong’s rights, freedoms, autonomy and democratic processes has been consistently raised with China and Hong Kong."
Senator Wong said the government recommended during China’s Universal Periodic Review in January that Beijing cease suppression of freedoms of expression, assembly, media and civil society, including the repeal of the National Security Law in Hong Kong.
Kevin Yam, a Melbourne lawyer and pro-democracy campaigner, said the convictions were a "complete wipeout of the opposition movement in Hong Kong". He has a bounty on his head from Hong Kong authorities who accuse him of national security offences.
"Because there are multiple generations of activists who have been convicted and have pleaded guilty, it means that multiple generations of democracy activists are now going to be put out of action for many, many years to come," Mr Yam said.
He said the Australian government could "always do more" to help Mr Ng, such as in the case of journalist Cheng Lei who was detained in China for three years before she was released back to Australia.
"Today is not a day for celebrating Australia-China relations," he said.
"Today is the day when we should see China for what it is and as an Australian government we should continue to push for Gordon Ng's release and return to Australia.
Trial criticised as politically motivated
The US and some other countries have criticised the trial as politically motivated, calling for the accused to be immediately released.
Security was tight around the High Court, where diplomats from the US, Britain and Europe have attended proceedings.
Scores of police officers and vehicles patrolled the area and supporters queued overnight to secure a spot.
"I came because it's a critical stage and a historical moment" for Hong Kong, said a man who gave only his surname, Chiu, 35, who began waiting at midnight.
The accused "all stood up for themselves and for Hong Kong people, hoping to make a change", he added.
The defendants were accused of a "vicious plot" to paralyse government and force the city's leader to resign through an unofficial pre-selection ballot in a July 2020 citywide election.
The democrats maintain it was an unofficial attempt to select the strongest candidates in a bid to win a historic majority in Hong Kong's legislature.
Mass pro-democracy protests erupted in Hong Kong in 2019 against Beijing's plans for security legislation that democrats argued infringed on freedoms guaranteed when Hong Kong was handed back to China by the British in 1997.
Beijing had promised to retain the city's Western-style civil liberties for 50 years. However, since the introduction of the security law, authorities have severely limited free speech and assembly under the rubric of maintaining national security.
Many activists were arrested, silenced or forced into self-exile and dozens of civil society groups disbanded.
The unofficial pre-selection ballot drew an unexpectedly high turnout of 610,000 voters, representing over 13 per cent of the city’s registered electorate.
The pro-democracy camp at that time hoped they could secure a legislative majority, which would allow them to press for the 2019 protest demands, including greater police accountability and democratic elections for the city leader.
But the government postponed the legislative election that would have followed the primary, citing public health risks during the coronavirus pandemic. The electoral laws were later overhauled, drastically reducing the public’s ability to vote and increasing the number of pro-Beijing lawmakers making decisions for the city in the legislature.
Most of the accused have been detained since February 2021 and were subjected to marathon bail hearings.
ABC/wires
