The European Union has, this Friday, expressed its rejection of the conviction to 12 years and six months of imprisonment imposed on Au Kam San, the pro-democracy former lawmaker of Macao and a European citizen. This is the first sentence issued in application of the National Security Law in this Chinese special administrative region since its entry into force in 2009.
"The EU deplores this conviction," the European External Action Service (EEAS) has indicated in an official note, in which it lamented that the judicial ruling "confirms the deterioration of political pluralism and freedom of expression" in Macao, and also recalled the restrictions such as the veto on the press, diplomats, and the general public attending the trial.
The European bloc has pointed out that Au Kam San was arrested on July 30, 2025, and that he was held for nearly a year in incommunicado detention. It has also emphasized that respect for Human Rights and fundamental freedoms is "a central element" of both the Macao Basic Law and the principle of "one country, two systems," which governs the way this territory is aligned with China.
"It is essential that the rights and freedoms protected for residents of Macao be fully respected," the European diplomacy has emphasized, which has demanded that the guarantees provided for in the Macao Basic Law, in the 1987 Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration, and in the international commitments assumed by the territory within the framework of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights be upheld.
In this vein, the European Union has stated that, together with its Member States, it will continue to "closely monitor" the development of the situation of Human Rights and fundamental freedoms in Macao.
The sentence against Au Kam San arrives in a week marked by another severe setback for the pro-democracy movement in China, after Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong was sentenced to ten years in prison for conspiracy with foreign forces, under the National Security Law imposed by Beijing.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, has also expressed this Friday his "deep concern" about the severe convictions handed down under national security legislation in both Hong Kong and Macao, and has called for these sentences to be reviewed in light of international obligations in the field of Human Rights.