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Ex-lawmaker jailed in Macau’s first national security trial
Developing story first seen 2 hours ago
The main development is that a Macau court has found former pro-democracy lawmaker Au Kam San guilty and sentenced him to 12 years and six months in prison. It is the Chinese territory’s first national security case and has renewed concerns about the treatment of political dissent.
The 69-year-old was convicted of offences including subversion, with the court saying he shared information with organisations outside Macau and sought to stir hostility towards the city’s government and Beijing. Detained in July 2025, Au was tried behind closed doors over three days in September after a judge ruled an open hearing could risk national security. He served in Macau’s legislature for two decades and co-organised vigils commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown.
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In short
- Au Kam San received a 12-and-a-half-year prison sentence.
- Macau’s first national security case has drawn concerns over dissent.
- His trial was held behind closed doors.
How this story developed
- 13 minutes ago A Macau court has sentenced former pro-democracy lawmaker Au Kam San to 12 years and six months in prison in the territory’s first national security trial.
- 19 minutes ago The main development is that a Macau court has found former pro-democracy lawmaker Au Kam San guilty and sentenced him to 12 years and six months in prison.
Full account
Former Macau lawmaker and pro-democracy campaigner Au Kam San has been sentenced to 12 years and six months in prison in the territory’s first national security prosecution. The 69-year-old was convicted of four of seven charges, including subversion against the political power of the state, after a trial that concluded in September.
Prosecutors alleged that Au had assisted organisations outside Macau by gathering and circulating material they considered politically subversive, and had sought to stir opposition to the Macau and central Chinese governments. The court said his conduct involved sustained cooperation with what it called hostile external groups. Authorities have not publicly set out the full details of the case.
The trial lasted three days and was held behind closed doors. A judge said the decision was necessary to protect national security interests. Au’s family had said he was assigned a lawyer rather than being allowed to choose his own. His wife, Virginia Cheang, denounced the case as persecution and said she hoped the family would be allowed to write to and visit him in prison.
Au was elected to Macau’s legislature in 2001 and served for two decades in a body dominated by pro-Beijing members. He also helped organise annual vigils marking the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. Macau, a former Portuguese-administered territory returned to China in 1999, enacted its national security law in 2009; the law was later expanded. The case has renewed concern among critics about the space for political dissent in the city.
Where outlets differ
From the full account, which is AI-written from the sources:
The first report gives the court’s stated reasoning in more detail and notes that the European Union criticised Au’s arrest over concerns about political pluralism. The second supplies the breakdown of charges and convictions, details reported by Au’s family about his legal representation, and his wife’s reaction and request for prison visits. It also places the sentence alongside the recent jailing of Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong and describes changes to Macau’s national security law. The accounts differ in emphasis; the second provides more detail about the proceedings and family response.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
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The case for
Supporters of the conviction may argue that Macau has a legitimate duty to protect its institutions and public order from organised attempts to undermine them, especially where information is shared with outside groups. They may see closed proceedings and a substantial sentence as necessary to safeguard sensitive evidence and deter serious threats to national security.
The case against
Critics may argue that the broad security charges and closed trial risk treating peaceful political advocacy and contact with outside organisations as subversion, without allowing the public to scrutinise the evidence. Au’s history of pro-democracy activity may heighten concern that the case could deter dissent and memorialising politically sensitive events, while a 12-and-a-half-year sentence appears disproportionate to the conduct described.
Explained simply
Macau is a Chinese territory with its own legal system and government. Beijing has responsibility for national security, and Macau introduced a national security law in 2009; the law sets out offences such as subversion, which concerns efforts to undermine state authority.
Au Kam San was a pro-democracy lawmaker in Macau for 20 years and helped organise vigils marking the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. His case matters because it is the first national security trial in Macau, drawing attention to how the territory’s laws are used in cases involving political activity and contact with groups outside the city.
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