Wire reporting: (AP, via The Philadelphia Inquirer), (Reuters, via Daily Maverick)

A court in Macau on Friday sentenced former lawmaker and pro-democracy campaigner Au Kam San, 69, to 12 years and six months in prison in the Chinese territory's first known national security trial, BBC, CNA and DW reported^2,10,11.

The Court of First Instance found him guilty of subversion against state power and related national-security counts after hearings held behind closed doors^2,5,10.

CNA, citing local broadcaster TDM, said Au was arrested in July 2025 on allegations including collusion with foreign forces, and that a court-appointed lawyer did not immediately comment¹⁰.

Al Jazeera reported the court tied the case in part to allegations he spread false information in 2023-2024 aimed at disrupting Macau's 2024 leadership election⁵.

Au served nearly two decades in Macau's legislature and was among the city's best-known democratic campaigners¹⁰.

The sentence came a day after a Hong Kong court sentenced activist Joshua Wong to 10 years on a national-security collusion charge, BBC and CNA noted^2,10.

Pro-democracy organizing has faced tighter limits in both Macau and Hong Kong since Beijing imposed a national security law on Hong Kong in 2020^2,10.

Macau authorities' full public evidence was limited because the trial was closed; Au's own response was not reported in the accounts reviewed^2,10.

Jimmy Lai, a Hong Kong publisher, was earlier sentenced to a long prison term on national-security counts, CNA noted as regional context¹⁰.

DW said the conviction was for subversion against the political power of the state¹¹.

Whether Au will appeal was not reported in the accounts reviewed^2,10.