The 47 Hong Kong activists in the city's largest national security case

The Hong Kong 47, also known as the Hong Kong 47, were charged three years ago in what was seen as the biggest crackdown under the National Security Law. The 47 protesters and activists, consisting of eight women and 39 men, were accused of trying to 'overthrow' the government by running unofficial primaries to pick opposition candidates for local elections. The judges agreed with the prosecutions' argument that this 'scheme' by the activists would have created a 'constitutional crisis' if the winners of the primary had indeed been elected as lawmakers. Sixteen of them appeared in court on Thursday and pleaded not guilty in front of three High Court judges. Fourteen of them were found guilty, and two others were acquitted - Lawrence Lau, a barrister and former district councillor, and Lee Yue-shun, also a former district councillor. Sentencing is expected at a later date. The remaining 31 had pleaded guilty. Four of them testified for the prosecution, including former lawmakers Au Nok-hin and Andrew Chiu. The primaries were held in July 2020 in defiance of Hong Kong officials and amid warnings that they could breach the NSL, which had come into effect days before. Beijing defends the law, which followed mass pro-democracy protests, as necessary to maintain stability, but critics say it has stripped the city of its prized autonomy and freedoms. Some of the accused are famous, such as opposition lawmakers - Claudia Mo, Helena Wong, Kwok ka-ki - and icons of the 2014 pro-democracy protests that rocked Hong Kong - Joshua Wong and Benny Tai. But many like Owen Chow, Ventus Lau and Tiffany Yuen represented a new generation of vocal activists. Mr Lau and Mr Chow were among hundreds who stormed the city's Legislative Council (LegCo) and spray-painted Hong Kong's emblem in what became a pivotal moment in the 2019 protests. Then there are those who were not involved in politics but were galvanized by the 2019 protests - social workers like Hendrick Lui, entrepreneurs like Mike Lam and a former nurse, Winnie Yu. Other prominent figures such as Nathan Law and ex-legislator Ted Hui also ran in the primaries, but fled Hong Kong.