BEIJING: A court in the Chinese territory of Macau sentenced ex-lawmaker and democracy campaigner Au Kam San to 12 years and six months in prison on Friday for subversion and other offenses.
Au, 69, is the first person convicted under national security laws widened in 2023 in Macau, the former Portuguese colony and casino hub which reverted to China in 1999.
He co-organized annual vigils for victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown in Beijing, something previously tolerated only in Macau and neighboring Hong Kong.
Au, detained in July 2025 and whose closed-door trial concluded in September within three days, was found guilty of “subversion against the political power of the State” and other offenses, a court statement said.
Au helped “external hostile organizations in the collection, preparation, and public dissemination of various images and information that were manifestly filled with political claims of a subversive nature against the political authority of the State,” it said.
He also sought to “incite hatred among Macau residents” against China, with the intent to “overthrow and undermine the fundamental system” of the state enshrined in the Chinese constitution, it added.
Macau’s government welcomed the verdict, vowing to “prevent, stop, and punish acts endangering national security.”
China dismissed criticism of the sentencing, and opposed any foreign entities “using individual judicial cases to interfere in Macau’s internal affairs and China’s domestic affairs.”
Beijing’s foreign ministry spokesman added that Macau has the responsibility and the right to deal with “acts suspected of colluding with external forces.”
The European Union had condemned Au’s arrest last year, saying it heightened concerns about the “erosion of political pluralism” in Macau.
The organization Justice Abroad said in a July statement that Au’s family had not been permitted to see or speak to him since shortly after he was detained.
“My father dedicated more than 30 years of his life to serving the people of Macau,” his daughter Cherry was quoted as saying in the statement.
“Nearly a year has passed, and we are still unable to communicate with him.”
Michael Polak, director of Justice Abroad and a London barrister who said he acts as Au’s international counsel, said on Friday that the “sham trial” of the Portuguese citizen “brings shame upon Macau.”
His fate “brings Macau in line with the most repressive states around the world, where the executive has the power to imprison those with whom it disagrees, with no semblance of a proper, fair legal process,” Polak said.
The court said on Friday that it had approved prison visits for Au’s family.
“From a closed-door trial to a public sentencing, what kind of process is that? It is a political trial,” Au’s wife Virginia Cheang Mio San said in an open letter.
“It is baseless persecution that tramples on a person’s dignity!” she wrote.
Few local media were admitted into the courtroom, with officials blaming limited seating.
Au was a teacher but after the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown in China, entered politics believing that Macau needed to become an open, democratic society.
“I admit that in the fight for democracy, we have accomplished nothing, but I believe in sowing seeds and giving them a chance to grow,” he told AFP in 2024.
“Even though we are in a bitter winter, if there are changes to the external environment, these seeds in Macau may yet have a chance to sprout and forge a new path toward democracy,” he said.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Friday that the “unjust prosecution and harsh sentencing... sends a chilling message to all peaceful critics in the territory.”
Jorge Menezes, a Portuguese lawyer who previously practiced in Macau, told AFP that the closed-door nature of Au’s trial would “set an example.”
“Nobody saw the trial, so nobody can contradict their account... We’re all still in the dark,” he said.
“The signal to society is clear... From now on, nobody needs to be arrested to be silenced: the threat will do the work.”
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