Taipei [Taiwan], August 22 (ANI): Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has called for the immediate release of two Hong Kong pro-democracy activists following their conviction on subversion charges, expressing concern over what it described as the growing use of national security laws to suppress dissent, the Taipei Times reported.

The MAC expressed 'deep regret and sorrow' over the convictions and urged Beijing and the Hong Kong government to end what it described as political persecution and release those detained, according to the report.

Citing Hong Kong media outlet Sing Tao Daily, the Taipei Times reported that the convicted activists are former Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China chairman Lee Cheuk-yan and former vice chairwoman Chow Hang-tung. Former vice chairman Albert Ho pleaded guilty before the trial began.

The Hong Kong Alliance, dissolved in 2021, had for decades organised peaceful events commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown and advocated democracy and greater freedoms in China, according to the MAC.

The defendants were prosecuted under Hong Kong's National Security Law for allegedly inciting others to organise, plan or participate in activities intended to subvert state power between July 1, 2020, and September 8, 2021, the Taipei Times reported, citing Sing Tao Daily.

The MAC criticised the nearly five-year duration of the proceedings and the defendants' prolonged detention, saying the case had raised international concerns over human rights and the rule of law in Hong Kong, while stressing that protecting these rights, along with freedom of speech and thought, is essential to maintaining the city's status as an international financial centre and ensuring its prosperity and stability, reported the Taipei Times.

The MAC expressed concern over Beijing and Hong Kong authorities' use of national security laws to suppress dissent, calling for an end to the crackdown and the release of those detained, the Taipei Times reported. (ANI)