James Pomfret and Jessie Pang

HONG KONG, (Reuters) – A historic national security case involving 47 Hong Kong democrats has been adjourned to Thursday and June 1-2. Many of the defendants had been held since February 2013 and could face months of remand.

They were accused of conspiring to commit subversion for participating in an illegal, non-binding, independently organized primary vote in 2020 that selected candidates for a now-postponed local election.

The vote, according to authorities was part of a plot by the Chinese government to overthrow the city’s elected officials.

They were accused under the 2020 Chinese national security law, which China placed on the ex-British colony. Critics say it questioned the freedoms the colony enjoyed since 1997, when China returned to control.

The law has been criticized by the West as being used to suppress dissent. However, the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities claim it has restored stability to Asia’s financial center following major pro-democracy protests.

The case of 47 was adjourned by Peter Law, West Kowloon magistrate. Hong Kong law restricts reporting pre-trial committal proceedings beyond certain key details.

Esther Toh, High Court judge, indicated this week in a written judgment for Gary Fan’s bail application that at least eleven of the defendants had intended to plead guilty.

In her judgment, she also stated that she felt “sympathy” for Fan’s long waiting for trial to begin. This “militates against fairness”.

The defendants include Joshua Wong, a young activist for democracy. Thirty four of them have been pre-trial in custody longer than one year. Only thirteen of the defendants have been released on bail.

Toh stated in Tuesday’s statement that procedural developments suggested there would be “a long delay until trial”.

Fan’s defence attorney, Margaret Ng, was quoted by her as saying “the earliest realistic trial date will probably be sometime in the middle of 2023.”

After being rearrested for making comments endangering national security, bail was given to the two defendants.

Toh made a separate statement Thursday explaining why she refused bail for Carol Ng, a trade union leader, and that Carol Ng had an “international influence” due to her union work.