Four Hong Kong democracy activists jailed on charges of "
subversion
" were released on bail Friday (March 5) after the prosecution dropped their appeal against their release.
Read also: Hong Kong: dozens of pro-democracy activists imprisoned by the courts
They are part of a group of 47 people charged with "
subversion
" under the national security law imposed in June 2020 by Beijing without debate in the Hong Kong parliament.
The defendants represent a very broad spectrum of the Hong Kong opposition, with former MPs, academics, lawyers, social workers and young activists.
Thursday, at the end of four days of hearing, a judge decided to keep 32 of them in detention and to release on bail the 15 others who however returned to prison after the appeal immediately lodged by the prosecution.
The judge said that there were "
not sufficient reasons to believe
" that the 32 activists whom he decided to keep behind bars were not going "
continue to commit acts that endanger national security
”.
Friday afternoon, the prosecution withdrew its appeal concerning the accused Clarisse Yeung, Mike Lam, Hendrick Lui and Lawrence Lau.
When they left the court a few hours later, they were greeted by their supporters who chanted "
No rioters, only tyranny!"
".
"
I'm tired, I want to go home, see my family and my cats,
" said Clarisse Yeung, 34, who had to be taken to hospital when she lost consciousness during one of the endless hearings.
The 47 activists are being prosecuted in connection with the opposition primaries, in which 600,000 people participated in July with a view to capitalizing on the immense popularity of the mobilization of 2019 in the legislative elections of September - finally postponed for a year to pretext for the coronavirus.
China had called these primaries a "
serious provocation
" and warned that it could amount to "
subversion
".
Most of these candidates were subsequently disqualified by the authorities.
Subversion is, along with secession, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces, one of the four crimes targeted by the new law, which provides for sentences of up to life in prison.