Landmark Hong Kong national security case verdict expected in 3-4 months -judge

29/11/2023 14:43

        A landmark national security trial for 16 Hong Kong democracy activists entered its final stretch on Wednesday, with a verdict expected in early 2024, nearly two years after they charged with conspiracy to commit subversion.
        
        On the first day of closing submissions, one of the handpicked national security judges, Andrew Chan, said a verdict would "tentatively" come in three to four months, with 10 days set aside for closing submissions.
        
        This is the first official indication of a potential end point for the legal proceedings, which have already stretched over 100 days in court since the trial began on Feb. 6.
        
        The legal saga began with police raids on more than 50 of the city's leading democrats in early 2021 under a sweeping China-imposed national security law, which has been criticised as a tool of repression by some Western governments, including the United States.
        
        Beijing says the national security law brought stability to the city after monthslong pro-democracy protests in 2019.