Macau begins first closed-door national security trial for former pro-democracy lawmaker Au Kam San

Macau commenced its inaugural closed-door national security trial on Wednesday, targeting a former pro-democracy lawmaker, Au Kam San, who faces charges of subversion. The Chinese-ruled gambling capital broadened the application of national security laws in May 2023, with a recent bill enabling closed-door trials for such cases.

Former lawmaker Au, detained in July 2025, became the first individual to be arrested under the new legislation and the first to undergo a closed-door trial. The 69-year-old has been charged with "subversion of state power," as well as forming connections with foreign entities and media outlets deemed harmful to China.

Michael Polak, Au's London-based barrister, contends that holding the proceedings privately constitutes a "sham process." Prosecutors allege that Au's peaceful political activities, democratic beliefs, and regular meetings with the European Union's office in Hong Kong and Macau are at the root of the allegations, as per Polak's firm.

Notably, Au also organized annual vigils in Macau to commemorate the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, a unique event as Macau and Hong Kong were the only two places in China where such public remembrances were allowed following the territory's return to China in 1999.

The European Union denounced Au's arrest, citing it as further evidence of the "erosion of political pluralism" in the territory. Last year, authorities confiscated pro-democracy books and materials related to the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown from Au's residence, according to Polak's advocacy group. Macau political scientist Eilo Yu asserts that the closed-door trial sends a chilling message to the city, as authorities aim to "shrink the entire civic space to its absolute minimum."

Au's family has expressed their inability to communicate with him or his appointed court lawyer for an extended period. Locals such as Joe Che, a 47-year-old self-employed worker, and Bell, a resident who declined to reveal her name, have expressed concerns over the lack of transparency, with Che calling for open and transparent information and Bell expressing the growing difficulty of voicing dissent in the city.