MACAO: FORMER PRO-DEMOCRACY OFFICIAL SENTENCED TO 12 AND A HALF YEARS IN PRISON

Former pro-democracy lawmaker Au Kam San, 69, has been sentenced to 12 years and six months in prison in Macau for subversion and endangering national security. This is the first conviction in a trial related to the national security law. Tried behind closed doors, the former lawmaker is accused of collaborating with foreign organizations to disseminate information hostile to the Chinese government. The case has raised concerns about political freedoms and judicial independence in the territory.