Macau jails ex-lawmaker Au Kam San in city's first national security trial

On November 6, 2026, a Macau court sentenced 69-year-old former pro-democracy lawmaker Au Kam San to 12.5 years in prison for subversion and foreign collusion, marking the gambling enclave's first national security trial. The three-day closed-door proceedings drew sharp condemnation from rights groups and family members over severe due process restrictions, including denied access to private legal counsel. The ruling aligns Macau with Beijing's broader regional suppression of political dissent, occurring alongside high-profile national security sentencings of Hong Kong activists Joshua Wong and Jimmy Lai.

Verdict and sentencing of Au Kam San

• ▪The court acquitted former lawmaker Au Kam San of two additional subversion charges due to insufficient evidence, while setting his total sentence within an applicable range of 11 years and 3 months to 19 years and 6 months
• ▪Macau's court convicted 69-year-old former lawmaker Au Kam San of subversion against state power, establishing contacts with foreign entities to endanger national security, and violating secrecy provisions
• ▪Macau's Court of First Instance sentenced former pro-democracy lawmaker Au Kam San to 12 years and six months in prison, marking the territory's first national security trial

Au Kam San's background and arrest

• ▪Former primary school teacher Au Kam San served as one of Macau's few pro-democracy legislators for 20 years from 2001 to 2021 and co-organized annual Tiananmen Square commemoration vigils
• ▪Former lawmaker Au Kam San was arrested at his Macau home in July 2025 in the first publicly known prosecution under Macau's 2009 national security law
• ▪Macau prosecutors stated that former lawmaker Au Kam San collaborated with external hostile entities over a long period to disseminate subversive materials and disrupt Macau's 2024 chief executive election

Legal amendments and closed-door trial

• ▪Macau authorities held former lawmaker Au Kam San's trial behind closed doors over three days in September 2026 without publicly disclosing details of the underlying evidence or charges
• ▪Macau revised its 2009 national security law in 2023 to cover non-violent acts of secession, and further amended legal provisions in 2026 to permit closed-door trials for national security cases
• ▪Macau Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai heads the city's national security committee, which confirmed the Public Prosecutions Office's request for a closed-door trial for former lawmaker Au Kam San

Reactions from Au Kam San's family

• ▪Cheery Au, daughter of former lawmaker Au Kam San, expressed concern for her father's health in prison due to his diabetes and stated family contact was barred following his arrest
• ▪Virginia Cheang, wife of former lawmaker Au Kam San, condemned the Macau court ruling sentencing him to 12.5 years in prison as a groundless persecution designed to humiliate her husband and requested regular visitation rights

International rights organizations and EU criticism

• ▪Human Rights Watch condemned Macau's sentencing of former lawmaker Au Kam San, describing it as part of the Chinese government's broader assault on dissent across its special administrative regions
• ▪The European Union condemned the July 2025 arrest of former lawmaker Au Kam San, warning that Macau authorities were eroding political pluralism and fundamental freedoms in the territory
• ▪Au's family reported that Macau authorities denied former lawmaker Au Kam San access to a private lawyer, assigning a court-appointed counsel who did not respond to press inquiries
• ▪Human Rights Watch deputy Asia director Maya Wang stated that Macau's prosecution of former lawmaker Au Kam San was marred by due process violations and silences peaceful critics in the territory

National security sentencings in Hong Kong

• ▪Hong Kong courts sentenced media tycoon Jimmy Lai to 20 years in prison in February 2026 for collusion with foreign forces and sedition under national security legislation
• ▪Hong Kong courts sentenced pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong to 10 years in prison for foreign collusion under Hong Kong's national security law