Macau jails former lawmaker Au Kam San for twelve years

A Macau court has sentenced former lawmaker and democracy campaigner Au Kam San, 69, to 12 years and six months in prison, the first conviction under the territory's national security laws as widened in 2023.

Why it matters: The sentence extends Beijing's national security framework to Macau, until now the quieter of the two special administrative regions, and Au's status as a Portuguese citizen gives the case a European dimension as well.

Data as of Agence France-Presse report published by Arab News on November 6, 2026, read in full in this run via the browser route; the court's findings are the Macau court's own statement as quoted in that report, and the critical reaction quoted is from the parties named. Developing item.

A court in Macau sentenced Au Kam San, a 69 year old former lawmaker, democracy campaigner and Portuguese citizen, to 12 years and six months in prison on Friday. The court found him guilty of subversion against the political power of the state and other offenses, saying in a statement that he had helped external hostile organizations collect and disseminate material of a subversive nature and had sought to incite hatred against China among Macau residents. Au, who was detained in July 2025 and tried behind closed doors in a three day hearing in September, is the first person convicted under Macau’s national security laws as widened in 2023.

Macau’s government welcomed the verdict and China’s foreign ministry dismissed foreign criticism, while Human Rights Watch called the prosecution unjust and Au’s international counsel, the London barrister Michael Polak, called the trial a sham. The European Union had condemned Au’s arrest last year as evidence of eroding political pluralism in the territory.

Macau jails former lawmaker Au Kam San for twelve years

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