The longest sentence, ten years, is given to former law professor Benny Tai, while another well-known democracy advocate, Joshua Wong, is sentenced to four years and eight months.
The convicted were arrested in 2021, accused of organizing unofficial primary elections ahead of the elections controlled by China's regime. Around 600,000 of Hong Kong's voters cast their ballots in the primary elections aimed at selecting candidates from the democratic movement for the elections overseen from Beijing.
The mass arrests in 2021 effectively crushed the democratic movement.
One of the convicted is an Australian citizen, Gordon Ng, and Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong says she is very concerned.
This is a very difficult time for Ng, his family, and those who support him, says Penny Wong.
The Australian Foreign Minister is criticizing what she describes as the far-reaching and broad interpretation of the national security law imposed by China.
The US State Department warned earlier this year that harsh sentences would further erode trust in Hong Kong's judiciary.
