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A Hong Kong court has sentenced key pro-democracy leaders to years in jail for subversion, following a controversial national security trial.

Activists Benny Tai and Joshua Wong were among the so-called Hong Kong 47 group involved in a plan to pick opposition candidates for local elections. Tai received 10 years while Wong received more than four years.

A total of 47 activists, opposition lawmakers and ordinary persons were charged for organising or taking part in the plan. Most were found guilty of conspiring to attempt subversion, while two were acquitted.

Their trial marked the largest use of the harsh national security law which China imposed on Hong Kong shortly after the city’s explosive pro-democracy protests in 2019.

Observers say it significantly weakens the city’s pro-democracy movement and rule of law, and allow China to cement control of the city. The US has described the trial as “politically motivated”.

Beijing and Hong Kong’s governments argue that the law is necessary to maintain stability and deny it has weakened autonomy. They also say the convictions serve as a warning against forces trying to undermine China’s national security.

The case has attracted huge interest from Hongkongers, dozens of whom queued up outside of the court days before the sentencing to secure a spot in the public gallery.

In 2020, hundreds of thousands of Hongkongers voted in an unofficial primary for the Legislative Council election. It was organised by pro-democracy activists to increase the opposition’s chances of blocking the pro-Beijing government’s bills.

The activists argued that their actions were legal. But officials accused the activists of attempting to “overthrow” the government, and judges in their ruling agreed with the prosecution’s argument that the plan would have created a constitutional crisis.

On Tuesday, the court handed out sentences ranging from four to ten years. Tai, a former law professor who came up with the plan for the unofficial primary, received the longest sentence.

Other prominent pro-democracy figures who were convicted include Gwyneth Ho, a former journalist who went into politics, and former lawmakers Claudia Mo and Leung Kwok-hung. They received sentences between four to seven years in prison.