Macao Jails Former Pro-Democracy Lawmaker for 12.5 Years

A landmark national security prosecution in Macao has resulted in a 12-year-and-six-month prison sentence for former pro-democracy legislator Au Kam San, 69. The court delivered its ruling Friday, Nov. 6, 2026, following a trial conducted behind closed doors over allegations involving state subversion, confidential information and contacts with overseas organizations.

The verdict marks the first publicly known prosecution under Macao's national security legislation, introduced in 2009. According to the BBC, Au was convicted on four of seven charges after a three-day trial that concluded in September.

Authorities accused Au of working with overseas organizations between 2023 and 2024 to distribute information they considered false and politically subversive. The allegations also included attempts to encourage foreign governments to take hostile measures against China and Macao and interfere with the city's 2024 leadership election.

The court also alleged that Au disclosed confidential information obtained during closed-door legislative committee discussions concerning the renewal of gaming licenses in 2021.

In its explanation of the sentence, the court characterized the alleged conduct as particularly serious.

"Although the defendant is a first-time offender and admitted to a considerable portion of the criminal facts, he demonstrated a high degree of intent. The degree of unlawfulness and the potential consequences of his crimes are both very serious," the court statement said.

The court described the organizations involved as "hostile organizations," according to NBC News.

Prosecutors had separately characterized the information Au allegedly distributed as "manifestly filled with political claims of a subversive nature against the state," according to the BBC.

The prosecution also described the alleged activities as "external hostile organisations" involvement in its account of the case, according to the BBC.

The judge justified the secrecy of the proceedings by saying the decision was necessary "to ensure that no prejudice is caused to the interests of national security," according to the BBC.

Au's wife, Virginia Cheang, strongly criticized the proceedings and challenged the legitimacy of the verdict in a public statement.

"From a closed-door trial to a public verdict, what kind of operation is this? It's a political trial and it's a groundless persecution to humiliate one's character," Cheang said, according to NPR.

In another statement, she described the case as a "groundless persecution designed to humiliate Au," according to the BBC.

Cheang said her immediate priority was maintaining contact with her husband through regular visits and correspondence.

"I dare not hope for more as I believe that will only lead to greater disappointment," she wrote in an open letter, according to the BBC.

Au's daughter, Au Hon I, who lives in London, also expressed concern about her father's imprisonment. She previously told The Associated Press that a lawyer arranged by the family had been prevented from meeting him in prison.

She described the ruling as "it's a very scary chapter that they're starting," according to NPR.

She also said, "It just doesn't feel like a safe space anymore being in Macao. And it's very heartbreaking," NPR reported.

Portuguese lawyer Jorge Menezes questioned the transparency of the proceedings, particularly the absence of publicly disclosed details identifying the organizations involved and the information allegedly provided by Au.

"From what I see, he did not plead guilty. Otherwise, they would have said. So this is misleading and unfortunate," Menezes said, according to NPR.

He also criticized the implications of the proceedings, saying, "It violates his dignity."

Menezes argued that the prosecution could serve as a warning to residents who challenge government authorities. He also described Macao as "a sort of laboratory" for examining developments that could have implications for neighboring Hong Kong.

Michael Polak, Au's international legal counsel, urged Portugal and the European Union to intervene because Au holds Portuguese citizenship.

"A sentence like that for someone of that age is a sentence for life," Polak said, according to NPR.

He added, "If he was left in Macao, he could die in prison."

Macao's government defended the judicial outcome and called on the public to respect the ruling. Authorities also indicated that enforcement of the national security legislation would continue.

Beijing's Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office described the verdict as evidence of the city's determination to protect national security and urged continued vigilance against potential threats.

Au previously served in Macao's Legislative Assembly for 20 years before leaving office in 2021. A former primary school teacher, he was elected in September 2001 and became one of the legislature's few lawmakers willing to openly criticize government policies.

He also helped organize annual commemorations of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown in Beijing. Such events, once permitted in Macao and Hong Kong, have effectively been prohibited in both cities following China's tightening of national security controls.

Macao returned to Chinese administration in 1999 after more than 400 years of Portuguese rule. The city maintains separate political and legal systems as a special administrative region, while amendments to its national security legislation in 2023 and 2026 expanded its scope and provisions for closed-door proceedings.

Au was arrested in July 2025. His September 2026 trial became the first publicly known national security prosecution in the city since the legislation took effect in 2009.