47 democrats case: Two ex-district councillors released from jail over subversion plot – reports

2026-01-27 - 05:41

Two former pro-democracy district councillors jailed in the landmark “47 democrats” national security case have reportedly been released from prison after serving four years and 11 months behind bars. Fergus Leung. File Photo: HKFP. Fergus Leung and Sam Cheung, who were both elected to serve as district-level councillors in 2019 in the midst of protests and unrest that broke out over a now-axed extradition law, were released from prison early Tuesday morning. Leung left from Shek Pik Prison on Lantau Island, while Cheung left from Stanley Prison, according to local media, with photos showing seven-seater vehicles with their windows drawn departing from the prisons at around 5.38am. The two councillors both served four years and 11 months in prison, after pleading guilty to taking part in a conspiracy to subvert state power. Leung and Cheung were among 47 figures in Hong Kong’s pro-democracy camp who were prosecuted under the Beijing-imposed legislation. Only two were acquitted. Landmark trial The trial revolved around an unofficial primary election in July 2020 that aimed to help the pro-democracy camp win a majority in the city’s legislature, following the massive protests and unrest in 2019. Sam Cheung. Photo: Sam Cheung, via Facebook. The group had threatened to veto government budgets once elected to the legislature and force the city’s leader to step down unless authorities met their political demands, including democratisation. See also: Pro-democracy activist Lester Shum, one of the ‘Hong Kong 47,’ released from jail In May 2024, three judges ruled the group would create a “constitutional crisis” with their scheme. Six years ago, Leung and Cheung were elected into office as part of a landslide victory for the pro-democracy camp in the 2019 District Council elections, with democrats securing control of 17 out of 18 councils. Later, the two councillors, along with democracy activist Owen Chow, initiated the “Inked Without Regret” declaration stating that participants would use their powers as elected lawmakers to veto the budget and paralyse the administration, aiming to rally “radical” candidates. The trio identified as “localists,” an ideology that emphasised Hong Kong’s cultural and political autonomy amid perceived encroachment by Beijing. It gained prominence following the large-scale pro-democracy protests in 2014 and 2019. Police patrol the West Kowloon Law Courts Building ahead of the verdict hearing of 16 Hong Kong democrats involved in the city’s largest national security trial, on May 30, 2024. File Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. In his mitigation letter, Cheung said that scrutinising the budget “should not be used as a political tool, nor should it be used to jeopardise national security.” His lawyer also mentioned that his father died while he was in detention, and that Cheung himself was a young father whose son was then three years old. Leung’s lawyer said the ex-councillor had been an active participant in the scheme but had only violated the law only out of ignorance rather than disregard. Beijing inserted national security legislation directly into Hong Kong’s mini-constitution in June 2020 following a year of pro-democracy protests and unrest. It criminalised subversion, secession, collusion with foreign forces and terrorist acts – broadly defined to include disruption to transport and other infrastructure. The move gave police sweeping new powers and led to hundreds of arrests amid new legal precedents, while dozens of civil society groups disappeared. The authorities say it restored stability and peace to the city, rejecting criticism from trade partners, the UN and NGOs.