A Hong Kong court on Tuesday sentenced all 45 defendants convicted of subversion in the city's largest national security trial, with 'mastermind' Benny Tai receiving the longest term of 10 years.

Tai's sentence was the longest yet under the law, introduced to suppress dissent following the massive, often violent pro-democracy protests of 2019. His 44 co-defendants received shorter terms, starting from four years and two months. All were charged with subversion after conducting an informal poll in 2020 aimed at securing a pro-democracy electoral majority.

The group included some of Hong Kong's most prominent political opposition figures. Former student leader Joshua Wong shouted 'I love Hong Kong, bye bye!' as he was led away after sentencing. More than 200 people had queued since dawn for a public seat in the courtroom, where the 45 defendants were tightly packed in the dock, occasionally waving to the public.

Many defendants had already spent over 1,300 days in jail. Outside the court, the mother of defendant Hendrick Lui silently held up a placard reading: 'The righteous shall live, the wicked shall perish.' She was quickly taken away in a police van, according to Hong Kong media footage.

The second-longest sentence of seven years and nine months was given to young activist Owen Chow, who had expressed 'absolute not optimism' in a Facebook post before the sentencing. Pro-democracy politicians Au Nok-hin, Andrew Chiu, and Ben Chung, identified as organizers, received lesser sentences after testifying against Tai.

'Long Hair' Leung Kwok-hung, co-founder of the city's last standing opposition party, received a term of six years and nine months. His wife and party leader Chan Po-ying said the sentence was 'within our expectations' and that she chose to 'laugh a bit' about it.

Former district councillor Leticia Wong believed the sentences were 'encouraging people to plead guilty and testify against their peers,' noting that 'punishment is obviously heavier' for those who refused to cooperate.

Western countries and international rights groups condemned the trial. Australia expressed 'grave concern' after dual citizen Gordon Ng received a sentence of seven years and three months, promising to advocate for his interests. The US consulate in Hong Kong 'strongly condemned' the sentencing.

China responded that such Western criticism 'seriously desecrates and tramples on the spirit of the rule of law,' warning against interference. Another national security trial will see a key development on Wednesday when jailed pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai testifies in his collusion trial.

Hong Kong's security minister Chris Tang said the sentences 'reflected the severity of the crime,' but the government would decide whether to appeal individual sentences. Forty-seven people were initially charged in January 2021, with 31 pleading guilty and 16 standing trial last year, resulting in 14 convictions and two acquittals in May.

The July 2020 primary aimed to select a cross-party shortlist of pro-democracy candidates to boost electoral prospects. If a majority was achieved, the plan was to force the government to meet 2019 protesters' demands, including universal suffrage, by threatening to veto the budget. Three senior judges appointed by the government to try security cases concluded that this would have caused a 'constitutional crisis.' The subversion charge could have carried a sentence of up to life in prison.

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