A Hong Kong court has sentenced dozens of pro-democracy leaders to years in jail for subversion, following a controversial national security trial. Benny Tai, 60, and Joshua Wong, 28, were among the so-called Hong Kong 47 group of activists and lawmakers who were involved in a plan to pick opposition candidates for local elections.

Hong Kong's High Court on Tuesday jailed a leading pro-democracy activist for 10 years at the start of sentencing in a years-long national security trial that has damaged the city's once feisty pro-democracy movement and drawn global criticism.

Benny Tai was among 45 Hong Kong pro-democracy figures sentenced on Tuesday after being convicted of conspiring to commit subversion.

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 LegCo and spray-painted Hong Kong's emblem in what became a pivotal moment in the 2019 protests.

A court in Hong Kong sentenced dozens of leading figures in its pro-democracy movement to lengthy prison sentences on Tuesday, the culmination of a landmark mass trial in the former British colony which the city’s government has used to crush opposition to China.

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

Forty-five ex-lawmakers and activists were sentenced to four to 10 years in prison Tuesday in Hong Kong’s biggest national security case under a Beijing-imposed law that crushed a once-thriving pro-democracy movement.

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

On Nov. 19, 45 pro-democracy activists and leaders were sentenced to prison terms of up to 10 years in Hong Kong's biggest national security case.