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

MACAU — A court on Friday sentenced former lawmaker Au Kam San, 69, to 12 years and six months in prison in Macau’s first prosecution under its 2009 national-security law, according to BBC, Al Jazeera, SCMP and CNA^1,5,9,10.

The Court of First Instance found him guilty of subversion of state power, establishing links with foreign groups to endanger national security, and a secrecy offense, SCMP and CNA reported, citing a court statement; two further subversion counts were dismissed for insufficient evidence^9,10.

Prosecutors said Au, a teacher who served in the Legislative Assembly for about two decades until 2021, helped overseas groups circulate information they called subversive and, Al Jazeera said the court found, sought to disrupt Macau’s 2024 leadership election^1,5,9.

The trial in September was held behind closed doors after a judge cited national-security interests; Au was arrested in July 2025 and assigned a court-appointed lawyer, BBC and DW reported^1,11.

His wife, Virginia Cheang, said in a public letter that the case was a “groundless persecution designed to humiliate Au,” according to BBC¹.

A Macau government spokesman said the court had acted according to law and urged the public to respect the judgment⁹. Human Rights Watch’s Maya Wang said the sentence sent a warning to peaceful critics^5,10.

The jailing came a day after Hong Kong sentenced activist Joshua Wong to 10 years under that city’s national-security law, several outlets noted^1,5,10. Whether Au will appeal was not stated in the reports reviewed^1,9,10.