# Macao sentences pro-democracy ex-politician to 12.5 years in jail

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/macao-sentences-pro-democracy-ex-politician-to-12-5-years-in-jail/
- Published: 2026-11-06T14:15:03+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-06T20:20:31+00:00
- Original publisher: Al Jazeera (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/11/6/macao-sentences-pro-democracy-ex-politician-to-12-5-years-in-jail?traffic_source=rss
- Topics: Elections, Politics, World

## Key points

- Au Kam-san received a 12-and-a-half-year prison sentence.
- The court said his actions targeted Macao’s 2024 leadership election.
- His wife and human rights advocates criticised the case.

## Summary

A Macao court has sentenced former pro-democracy politician Au Kam-san to 12 years and six months in prison after finding him guilty of subverting state power in a closed-door national security trial. The court said his actions were intended to disrupt the territory’s 2024 leadership election, while human rights advocates say the sentence could deter peaceful criticism.

The court accused Au, 69, of spreading false information in 2023 and 2024, working with organisations abroad and leaking confidential information. It noted that he was a first-time offender who admitted to much of the conduct, but said his intent and the potential consequences were serious. His wife called the case a political trial and groundless persecution; Macao’s government and China’s Hong Kong and Macao Affairs office backed the sentence. Au’s arrest last year was the first public prosecution under Macao’s 2009 security law.

## Coverage

- [Al Jazeera: Macao sentences pro-democracy ex-politician to 12.5 years in jail](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/11/6/macao-sentences-pro-democracy-ex-politician-to-12-5-years-in-jail?traffic_source=rss)
- [NPR: Ex-lawmaker gets 12.5 years in Macao's first national security case](https://www.npr.org/2026/11/06/g-s1-152217/ex-lawmaker-gets-12-5-years-in-macaos-first-national-security-case)

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.