Au Kam San, a 69-year-old former pro-democracy lawmaker in Macao, has been sentenced to 12 and a half years in prison. This marks the first national security case in the Chinese gambling hub following the widening of national security laws in 2023.
The court found Au guilty of subversion against the political power of the State and spreading false information in a bid to disrupt Macao’s 2024 elections. He was arrested in July 2025 for collusion with foreign forces to endanger national security.
The sentencing followed a closed-door trial that raised concerns about fairness. Au had previously co-organized annual vigils for victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown in Beijing, a practice that was previously tolerated in Macao.
Macao is a former Portuguese colony and casino hub that reverted to China in 1999.