Ex-lawmaker jailed in Macau's first national security trial

Pro-democracy former lawmaker Au Kam San was found guilty of "subversion against the political power of the State." He was handed a prison sentence of 12-and-a-half years. A court in Macau on Friday sentenced former lawmaker and pro-democracy campaigner Au Kam San to 12 years and six months in jail in the Chinese territory's first national security case. Au was accused of providing false information to anti-China organizations outside Macau to incite hatred against the city's government and Beijing.

The teacher-turned-lawmaker was detained in July 2025, in what was the first publicly known prosecution under Macau's national security law since it was implemented in 2009. Critics say that Au's case illustrates China's emphasis on security and its intolerance of dissent, even though Macau's pro-democracy movement has never been as influential as its neighbor Hong Kong . Last year, the European Union denounced Au's arrest, saying it added to the concerns about the "erosion of political pluralism" in Macau.

Macau is a former Portuguese colony which reverted to China in 1999.