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Former Macau lawmaker Au Kam-sin was convicted of four national security crimes and sentenced to 12 years and six months in prison, making it the first national security case since Macau handed over sovereignty. The Macau government and the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office expressed support, while Au’s wife condemned it as political persecution.
to followhong kong The day after, the High Court handed down stringent punishment to a former student movement leader under the National Security Act.joshua wong Back,Macau The court also yesterday sentenced former Macau lawmaker Au Kam Sun, 69, to 12-and-a-half years in prison for “subverting state authority” by violating the national security law. District’s wife condemned it as “unfair harassment.” The Macau government expressed its support for the court’s decision. The Mainland Affairs Council has expressed deep regret over this.
Ou Jinxin served as a member of the Macau Legislative Assembly for 20 years and resigned in 2021. He is considered the soul of local democracy. He was arrested in late July 2025 and charged with 7 counts, including three counts of “subversion of state power”, three counts of “establishing contact with organizations, groups or individuals outside the Macau Special Administrative Region and committing acts that endanger national security”, and one count of “violation of privacy”.
The Macau Lower Court completed the hearing in a “closed-door” manner in September this year, with a court-appointed judge to hear the case and “appointed lawyers” to defend the case. The identities of both have not been made public yet. Ou Jinxin was ultimately convicted of four crimes and sentenced to concurrent imprisonment for 12 years and six months. He was 82 years old when he was released from jail. This is the first national security case since Macau handed over sovereignty in 1999.
The court found that Au Kam Sun has been aiding and abetting with foreign enemy organizations for a long time to collect, formulate, and openly disseminate numerous political ideas that are clearly subversion of state power as well as full of false and obviously distorted images and information, thereby colluding with foreign enemy organizations to overthrow and subvert the country’s basic system and undermine Macao’s 2024 Chief Executive (Chief Executive) election. A conspiracy is being hatched to incite hatred of Macau residents towards the central government. According to Macau’s national security law, “subversion of state authority” is punishable by 10 to 25 years in prison.
The court said that during the trial, Ou Jinxin had “no objections” to most of the basic facts, and said that although Ou was a first-time offender and admitted a considerable number of criminal facts, “the degree of intentionality was extremely high, and the illegality of the crime and the possible consequences were very serious.”
After the court announced the verdict, the Macau government issued a press release expressing respect and support, saying that the verdict fully protected the legal rights of the suspects and other litigation participants. Mainland China’s Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office issued a statement saying that Ou Jinxin has long been colluding with external forces to oppose China and disrupt Australia, and his crime is obvious.
Ou Jinxin’s wife, Zheng Miaoshan, issued an open letter after the sentencing, saying the verdict was unacceptable: “What kind of operation is it to go from a closed trial to a public punishment? This is a political trial, and it is unjustified persecution coupled with defamation of character!”
Summary FAQ
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A Macau lower court convicted Ou Jinxin on four counts and sentenced him to 12 years and six months in prison on multiple counts. After being taken into custody, he was interrogated behind closed doors and will be 82 years old when he is released from jail.
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The court found that he had been assisting foreign hostile organizations for a long time in collecting, preparing and disseminating subversive ideas and information and was in collusion with external forces to incite hatred. He was also accused of sabotaging Macau’s 2024 chief executive election.
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The Macau government expressed respect and support for the verdict, and the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office said it was linked to external forces and the allegations were clear. Ou Jinxin’s wife, Zheng Miaoshan, publicly criticized the entire process as a political trial and unfair persecution.
