Macau jails pro-democracy ex-lawmaker Au Kam San for 12.5 years
Au Kam San, 69, was convicted of subversion after a closed-door trial in Macau's first national security case; his wife calls it a "groundless persecution".
At a glance
- Macau sentenced former lawmaker Au Kam San, 69, to 12 years and six months in prison in the city's first national security case.
- He was convicted of four of seven charges after a closed-door trial; his wife called the case a "groundless persecution".
- Macau's security law took effect in 2009 and was revised in 2023 and again this year to permit closed-door trials.
Macau has sentenced Au Kam San, a former lawmaker and pro-democracy campaigner, to 12 years and six months in prison in the city's first national security case. Au, 69, was convicted on Friday of "subversion against the political power of the state", among other offences, following a trial held behind closed doors.
Charges and closed-door trial
Au was arrested in July 2025 and charged with three counts of subverting the state's power, three counts of endangering national security by establishing contact with foreign organisations, and one count of breach of confidentiality. He was found guilty of four of the seven charges after a three-day trial that ended in September. A judge ordered the proceedings be held behind closed doors "to ensure that no prejudice is caused to the interests of national security".
Prosecutors accused Au of assisting and collaborating with "external hostile organisations" by collecting, preparing and disseminating information "manifestly filled with political claims of a subversive nature against the state", saying this took place "over a long period of time". Macau's authorities never publicly disclosed details of the case. Au's family told the media he had not been allowed to seek his own legal representation and was instead assigned a lawyer by the court.
Family reaction
His wife, Virginia Cheang, condemned the ruling as a "groundless persecution designed to humiliate Au". In an open letter on Friday, she said she hoped authorities would grant her and her family permission to write to and visit him regularly. "I dare not hope for more as I believe that will only lead to greater disappointment," she said.
Political career and context
A former primary school teacher, Au was elected to Macau's Legislative Assembly in September 2001 and served for 20 years as one of only a handful of pro-democracy lawmakers in a legislature largely made up of pro-Beijing loyalists. He co-organised annual vigils in Macau to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. Such vigils were previously tolerated in Macau and Hong Kong but have effectively been banned in both cities since China imposed a sweeping national security law on Hong Kong in 2020.
Macau was handed back to China in 1999, ending more than 400 years of Portuguese administration. Its national security law came into effect in 2009, criminalising treason, secession and subversion against the Chinese Communist Party. It was revised in 2023 to broaden its scope to non-violent acts of secession, and again this year to allow trials to be held behind closed doors.
Au's sentencing came a day after Hong Kong jailed Joshua Wong, the face of its now-quashed democracy movement, for 10 years. Wong, 30, has been in custody for the last six years.
Source: BBC World.
Questions and answers
- Why was Au Kam San jailed in Macau?
- Au was convicted of four of seven charges, including "subversion against the political power of the state". Prosecutors accused him of collaborating with "external hostile organisations" over a long period.
- What sentence did Au Kam San receive?
- Macau sentenced him to 12 years and six months in prison, in the city's first national security case. He was arrested in July 2025 and convicted after a three-day trial held behind closed doors.
- What is Macau's national security law?
- It came into effect in 2009 and criminalises treason, secession and subversion against the Chinese Communist Party. It was revised in 2023 to include non-violent secession and again this year to allow closed-door trials.
