Dozens of anti-China figures in HK including Benny Tai and Joshua Wong plead guilty to conspiracy to subvert state power

Photo taken on May 4, 2020 shows the High Court in Hong Kong, south China.(Photo: Xinhua)

Dozens of anti-China political figures involved in the notorious "35-plus" political strategy in 2020 including Benny Tai Yiu-ting and Joshua Wong Chi-fung pleaded guilty to "conspiracy to subvert state power" on Thursday and the case will be handed over to Hong Kong High Court for sentencing.

The case concerning 47 anti-government figures in Hong Kong, who were charged with conspiring to subvert state power in February 2021, was mentioned at the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts on Thursday morning. Among the 29 defendants, anti-government figures such as Tai, Wong, and former lawmaker Wu Chi-wai pleaded guilty, and they will be handed over to the High Court for sentencing.

Besides Tai and Wong, other defendants who pleaded guilty included former lawmaker Claudia Mo, who was seen at the Legislative Council when black-clad rioters vandalized it on July 1, 2019. Former lawmakers Eddie Chu and Alvin Yeung were also among the list of those who pleaded guilty.

The so-called 35 plus strategy for illegal primaries were suspected of violating two types of laws - Hong Kong's local electoral laws, as there's no such primary election in Hong Kong, and the national security law (NSL) for Hong Kong, as the illegal primaries were aiming to paralyze the HKSAR government, cause a constitutional crisis and call for foreign sanctions, which all fall into the category of violating the national security law for Hong Kong, officials and experts said.

Tai was also one of the three leaders of the illegal "Occupy Central" in 2014, and he was sacked by The University of Hong Kong in 2020.

Hong Kong secessionist Wong had already been sentenced in December 2020 on two charges related to the siege of the Hong Kong police headquarters in June 2019. He was widely considered as a major disruptor of the political system before the NSL and electoral reform took effect.

Hong Kong Department of Justice has reportedly ordered a non-jury trial for dozens of suspects who have been charged with conspiring to subvert state power, and the authority said on Wednesday that the arrangement does not undermine any legitimate rights and interests of the defendants.

The suspects' pleading guilty shows that the prosecution can present strong and conclusive evidence, making the defendant believe that there is no chance of winning, so he chose to plead guilty in order to reduce losses, Lau Siu-kai, deputy head of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, told the Global Times on Thursday.

"The prosecution's victory in this case is beneficial to establishing the prestige of the relevant laws, deterring the anti-China rioters who deliberately endanger national security, as well as promoting national security education in Hong Kong society and maintaining national security and Hong Kong's stability and prosperity," Lau said.