The key facts

  • Former member of Macao's Legislative Assembly Au Kam San was sentenced to 12 years and 6 months in prison on charges of 'subversion of state power'
  • This is the first publicly known prosecution under Macao's national security law adopted in 2009
  • The trial was held behind closed doors; the EU earlier condemned the arrest, voicing concern over the 'erosion of political pluralism'

Verdict in the first national security case

A court in Macao on Friday sentenced former legislator and pro-democracy activist Au Kam San to 12 years and 6 months in prison. The 69-year-old Au was found guilty on several charges, including 'subversion against state political power'. As Deutsche Welle reports, this is the first publicly known prosecution under Macao's national security law, in force since 2009: Au was detained in July 2025.

The charges and the court's position

According to the court, Au is accused of passing false information to anti-China organizations outside Macao with the aim of inciting hatred against the city's government and Beijing. The court's statement said that he 'over a long period personally provided help and assistance to external hostile organizations in collecting, preparing and publicly disseminating various images and information clearly filled with subversive political demands against state political power'. The court also stated that Au sought to 'incite hatred among Macao residents against the Central People's Government with the intention of overthrowing and undermining the fundamental system of the state enshrined in the Constitution of the PRC'.

Closed trial and critics' reaction

The trial was held behind closed doors and concluded in September after three days of hearings. The court earlier explained its refusal to hold an open hearing by the need to protect national security interests. Critics note that Au's case illustrates China's emphasis on security and intolerance of dissent — even though Macao's pro-democracy movement was never as influential as in neighboring Hong Kong. Last year the European Union condemned Au's arrest, saying it deepens concerns about the 'erosion of political pluralism' in Macao.

Who is Au Kam San

Au Kam San, a former teacher, served for two decades in Macao's legislature, which is dominated by Beijing loyalists, and left it in 2021. He was one of the organizers in Macao of memorial vigils for the victims of the suppression of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. Macao, a former Portuguese colony, returned to Chinese jurisdiction in 1999; like Hong Kong, it has the status of a special administrative region.