The Hong Kong 47 are charged with “conspiracy to subversion” under the city’s notoriously draconian National Security Law, which is relentlessly and systematically dismantling free speech, free press and free association in the city. All of them will face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment for merely organizing an unofficial primary election among the pro-democracy camp in 2020, a legitimate democratic practice. 

The case will be trialed at the end of May, marking it as the most significant political trial of a dissident in Hong Kong to date.

The Hong Kong 47 include youth activist Joshua Wong, veteran activist “Long Hair” Kwok-hung Leung, former law professor at the HKU Benny Tai, former lawmaker Claudia Mo, former journalist Gwyneth Ho, and former union representative Wai-ming Yu. Only 13 of them have been granted bail, and the remainder have been detained to serve “de facto sentences” since February 2021, facing unreasonably lengthy court proceedings to reach trial.

We are students studying at UCLA who pursue freedom, human rights, equality, and democracy. We pursue perfection in our own research fields, and we also hope that the world can be free from dictators. Just as we oppose Russia's aggression in Ukraine, we oppose the massacre of civilians in Gaza.

We call on the Hong Kong Government and CCP regime:

• Drop all charges against and release immediately the Hong Kong 47, who were prosecuted solely for their leading roles in democratic movements in Hong Kong; Release all Hong Kong and Chinese people imprisoned for political protest.

• We also call on U.S. lawmakers at all levels to pay attention to Hong Kong's declining human rights situation and impose sanctions on Hong Kong judges, administrators and legislators involved in political trials.