Macau concludes first closed-door national security trial
MACAU: Macau has concluded its first national security trial behind closed doors, a court said on Friday, days after proceedings began in a former pro-democracy lawmaker’s case.
Macau has concluded its inaugural national security trial in a closed-door proceeding, according to the Court of First Instance. The verdict is set to be delivered at a later date. The case centers around Au Kam San, a former pro-democracy lawmaker who was detained in July 2025 on charges including subversion and building ties with foreign groups deemed harmful to China.
The proceedings, which commenced on Wednesday, have now ended. Michael Polak, Au's attorney, has criticized the handling of the trial, stating that it was completed in secret without an independent counsel, casting doubt on the legitimacy of the proceedings. Jorge Menezes, a Portuguese lawyer, commented that the closed-door trial is not about justice, security or the rule of law, but rather serves to intimidate individuals into submission to the Chinese Communist Party.
Au was among the organizers of annual vigils in Macau to commemorate the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, a remnant of Macau's status as the only place in China where such public remembrances were permitted.
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