Au Kam San faces Macau’s first secret security trial
HKFP · 1 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Macau was set to begin its first national security trial behind closed doors on Wednesday, with former pro-democracy lawmaker Au Kam San in the dock. Au, 69, was detained in July 2025 and became the first person arrested under Macau’s expanded national security laws, as well as the first defendant to face a closed trial under the new framework. He is charged with subversion of state power and with building ties with foreign groups and media outlets that allegedly endanger China. Judicial authorities said a judge decided last week to close the proceedings to avoid compromising national security interests, while details of the case have remained scarce since his arrest
Key Points
- Macau broadened the scope of its national security laws in May 2023, and a new bill passed this year permits judges to hear such cases in private
- Au Kam San, a former Macau legislator, was detained in July 2025 and is the first person arrested under the territory’s revised security regime
- Prosecutors have charged the 69-year-old with “subversion of state power” and with cultivating foreign and media links said to endanger China
- London-based barrister Michael Polak, representing Au, said private hearings would be “a sham process” and linked the case to peaceful political activity
- Outside court on Wednesday, police registered an AFP reporter’s details, officials did not confirm whether proceedings had begun, and several vans arrived
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong readers, the case offers a nearby example of how national security proceedings in another Chinese special administrative region are being handled with reduced public visibility. It also adds to concerns raised by the European Union about political pluralism in Macau, a city that once, like Hong Kong, allowed public Tiananmen commemorations