https://www.scmp.com/rss/521750/feed The latest news and top stories on Helena Wong Pik-wan. A prominent figure in Hong Kong politics, she served as a Legislative Council member for Kowloon West from 2012 to 2020. With an academic background from Hong Kong Polytechnic University, she lectured on Hong Kong, mainland China and women’s issues. Her political career includes co-founding the Democratic Party and notably exposing the 2015 lead-in-water scandal. She is currently appealing her conviction for conspiracy to subvert state... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Matthew Cheng,Natalie Wong Matthew Cheng,Natalie Wong A Hong Kong court has dismissed appeals by 12 opposition activists to overturn their convictions or reduce their sentences in the city’s largest national security case, upholding a finding that an unofficial 2020 primary election was subversive and that the seven-year starting point for jail terms was not “manifestly excessive”. The Court of Appeal on Monday also upheld the acquittal of barrister Lawrence Lau Wai-chung, one of the 47 activists prosecuted in the landmark case of conspiracy to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3344367/hong-kong-court-dismisses-appeal-12-activists-over-landmark-subversion-case?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3344367/hong-kong-court-dismisses-appeal-12-activists-over-landmark-subversion-case?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Feb 2026 12:15:17 +0000 Natalie Wong,Matthew Cheng,Edith Lin,Brian Wong Natalie Wong,Matthew Cheng,Edith Lin,Brian Wong Hong Kong’s Court of Appeal has dismissed the appeals by 12 opposition activists seeking to overturn their convictions or have their sentences reduced, following the city’s largest national security trial to date. The appellate court on Monday also upheld the acquittal of one of 47 defendants prosecuted in the high-profile case of conspiracy to subvert state power. A heavy police presence was seen outside the West Kowloon Court on Monday morning, with around 100 officers stationed at the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3344284/hong-kong-court-rule-appeals-activists-largest-national-security-trial?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3344284/hong-kong-court-rule-appeals-activists-largest-national-security-trial?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Feb 2026 01:31:22 +0000 Fiona Chow Fiona Chow A Hong Kong appellate court will announce its decisions next Monday on the appeals of 12 activists convicted of conspiring to subvert state power in an unofficial election, and also rule on an acquitted defendant in the city’s largest national security trial. Eleven of the 12 found guilty over a scheme during the 2020 Legislative Council election to undermine, destroy or overthrow the administration earlier lodged appeals against their convictions and sentences. They have been serving jail... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3343713/hong-kong-court-announce-verdict-appeals-12-jailed-activists-february-23?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3343713/hong-kong-court-announce-verdict-appeals-12-jailed-activists-february-23?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Feb 2026 06:39:42 +0000 Alice Wu Alice Wu It is quite unimaginable that Hong Kong continues to struggle with basic necessities such as water. However, that is the case, at least when it comes to the government. Ten years ago, opposition lawmaker Helena Wong Pik-wan found excessive levels of lead in drinking water that was later discovered to have affected 11 public housing estates, involving 29,000 households. That led to an independent, judge-led inquiry in 2016. The investigation yielded 17 recommendations, including for the water... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3322960/water-scandal-another-blow-public-trust-hong-kong-government?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3322960/water-scandal-another-blow-public-trust-hong-kong-government?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Aug 2025 01:30:09 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong A Hong Kong appellate court is expected to rule in nine months’ time on appeals arising from the city’s largest national security trial, as lawyers wrapped up their verbal submissions on Thursday after 3½ days of hearings. Legal counsel urged three Court of Appeal judges to impose lighter sentences on 11 appellants for what the trial court found to be their “active participation” in a subversive scheme to “undermine, destroy or overthrow” the government. Prosecutors opposed the applications by... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3318558/hong-kong-47-court-expected-rule-appeals-9-months-time?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3318558/hong-kong-47-court-expected-rule-appeals-9-months-time?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Jul 2025 07:22:13 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong Lawyers representing 11 Hong Kong opposition figures continued advancing arguments in court in a bid to overturn their convictions for conspiracy to subvert state power, saying they could not be held liable under the national security law for trying to trigger a constitutional mechanism to oust the city leader. Legal counsel on Tuesday argued that lawmakers were entitled to use their votes as a bargaining chip to push their political demands, while urging an appellate court to be cautious about... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3318349/appeals-continue-11-hong-kong-opposition-figures-jailed-subversion?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3318349/appeals-continue-11-hong-kong-opposition-figures-jailed-subversion?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Jul 2025 14:54:33 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong A Hong Kong court has started hearing appeals lodged by 11 opposition figures jailed for conspiracy to subvert state power following the city’s largest national security trial, while the government is seeking to overturn a defendant’s acquittal in the high-profile case. Legal counsel for the 11 appellants on Monday urged an appellate court to refrain from adjudicating on “political matters”, saying that any “peaceful” attempt to force the government to accede to a political agenda should be... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3318192/hong-kong-47-court-begins-hearing-appeals-against-activists-convictions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3318192/hong-kong-47-court-begins-hearing-appeals-against-activists-convictions?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Jul 2025 14:27:29 +0000