HONG KONG >> Hong Kong’s High Court on Tuesday jailed 45 pro-democracy activists for up to 10 years following a landmark national security trial that has damaged the city’s once feisty democracy movement and drawn criticism from the U.

Hong Kong's High Court on Tuesday sentenced 45 leading democrats to jail terms of up to 10 years in what critics say is a major blow to the financial hub's rule of law. Under a Beijing-imposed national security law which carried sentences of up to life in prison,

"The 47 democrats verdict makes crystal clear that any such compatibility with human rights or the rule of law stops at the all-important legislative purpose of the national security law as a means to protect national security," said Urania Chiu, a doctoral legal researcher at Oxford University.

The U.S. has criticized the trial and said the activists should be released as they had been "peacefully participating in political activities."

Hong Kong's High Court on Tuesday jailed 45 pro-democracy activists for up to 10 years following a landmark national security trial that has damaged the city's once feisty democracy movement and drawn criticism from the U.

In February 2021, 47 democrats were charged under the national security law for their involvement in a primary election. On Tuesday, 45 will be sentenced.

Hong Kong's High Court has sentenced 45 major democrats to prison, alarming international observers who view it as a severe blow to the city's rule of law. Responses from global political figures highlight concerns over the implications for civil freedoms and the rule of law in the financial hub.

Forty-five prominent activists in Hong Kong have been sentenced to up to 10 years in jail, sparking criticism from foreign governments and rights groups