HONG KONG (AP) — Dozens of prominent Hong Kong pro-democracy activists are expected to be sentenced Tuesday the biggest case under a national security law which critics say has crushed political activism in the semi-autonomous Chinese city.

THE convictions of the 45 activists under the law imposed by Beijing are widely seen as part of a Chinese-led crackdown that has destroyed hopes for a more democratic Hong Kong. They risk sentences of up to life imprisonment.

The activists were among 47 people accused of conspiracy to commit subversion in 2021 for their involvement in a unofficial primary election choose opposition candidates. They were accused of agreeing to indiscriminately veto government proposed budgets after securing a legislative majority to force the dissolution of the Legislative Assembly and then the ouster of the city leader.

Three government-approved judges ruled that the plan to achieve political change through unofficial 2020 primaries would have undermined the government’s authority and created a constitutional crisis.

Thirty-one of the activists pleaded guilty and 14 others were found guilty in May following a trial. Two were acquitted. Those who plead guilty have a better chance of receiving shorter prison sentences.

Some of the convicted activists have called for lesser sentences by expressing remorse and apologizing. Others remained defiant.

Here are profiles of some of the leading activists.

Benny Tai

Riding a wave of anti-government protests in 2019, Benny Tai, former law professor at the University of Hong Kong, co-hosted the primary elections which attracted 610,000 voters, more than 13% of the city’s registered electorate. The primary aimed to select pro-democracy candidates who would then run in official elections.

The judges said Tai had declared that obtaining a legislative majority was a “constitutional weapon of mass destruction” that would allow the pro-democracy camp to veto government budgets. Under the city’s Basic Law, or mini-constitution, the city leader can dissolve the legislature if a budget cannot be passed. But the leader will have to step down if the budget is blocked again by the next legislature.

The judges said Tai aimed to “undermine, destroy or overthrow the existing political system and structure” of Hong Kong.

Tai pleaded guilty to the charge. In asking for a shorter sentence, his lawyer said Tai had always supported nonviolence and believed his actions were legal.

Tai was not always considered a threat by authorities. He was a member of an advisory committee that helped gather opinions on drafting the Basic Law before the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997.

In 2001, the government awarded him a medal of honor for promoting civic education, but it was withdrawn in 2022.

Tai is perhaps best known as the co-founder of the city’s 2014 festival. Occupy Movementduring which protesters occupied the streets and blocked traffic in some areas for almost 80 days, demanding direct elections for the city’s leader.

Joshua Wong

Joshua Wong rose to fame in Hong Kong in 2012 as a high school student leading protests against the introduction of national education in the city’s schools. Two years later, he became internationally known as the leader of the Occupy movement.

In 2016, Wong co-founded a political party named “Demosisto” with other young activists. Nathan Law And Agnes Chow. In the 2019 pro-democracy movement, Wong was instrumental in seeking foreign support for the protests. His activism led Beijing to label him as a Hong Kong independence advocate who “begged for interference” from foreign forces.

Demosisto disbanded when Beijing imposed the security law in 2020. Wong won the primary election, but the government postponed official elections, citing public health risks from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wong pleaded guilty and asked for a lesser sentence. His lawyer said he hoped “he could separate himself from his history and would be able to reform” after completing it.

Wu Chi Wai

Wu Chi-wai is the former chairman of Hong Kong’s largest pro-democracy party, the Democratic Party, which some activists considered too moderate. In 2006, the government awarded Wu a medal of honor for his community service.

Wu pleaded guilty, with his lawyer saying he had worked in public service for more than 30 years and that he and his party did not seek to indiscriminately veto budgets. Three former government officials wrote letters requesting a reduction in his sentence.

Wu’s parents died during his detention and he was only able to briefly attend their funerals.

Gordon Ng

Gordon Ng, who has dual Australian and Hong Kong citizenship, was initially named as the organizer of the primary by prosecutors, a charge Ng has denied. He pleaded not guilty.

The judges acknowledged in their verdict that Ng did not organize the plan and was not a candidate. However, they highlighted his campaign urging voters to support primary winners through social media posts and a front-page ad in the now-shuttered pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, founded by Jimmy Lai.

In calling for a lighter sentence, Ng said his support for the primaries was linked to his belief that they could iron out differences within the pro-democracy camp, which has long been plagued by infighting. He said he never asked candidates to promise to veto budgets.