Hong Kong's High Court jailed 45 pro-democracy activists on Tuesday for up to 10 years following a years-long subversion trial that has damaged the city's once feisty democracy movement and drawn criticism from the U.

Many family members, whose loved ones have been detained since February 2021, learned on Tuesday when they would next see them in person.

Hong Kong's High Court on Tuesday jailed 45 pro-democracy activists for up to 10 years following a landmark national security trial that has damaged the city's once feisty democracy movement and drawn criticism from the U.

The U.S. has criticized the trial and said the activists should be released as they had been "peacefully participating in political activities."

The activists were arrested over a single day in 2021 and charged with “conspiracy to commit subversion” for taking part in an unofficial primary election.

“The Hong Kong government is seeking U.S. investments in the very same week that it brutally silences free speech and jails pro-democracy advocates. The Chinese Communist Party is asking U.S. financial institutions to subsidize their repression in Hong Kong.

"The 47 democrats verdict makes crystal clear that any such compatibility with human rights or the rule of law stops at the all-important legislative purpose of the national security law as a means to protect national security," said Urania Chiu, a doctoral legal researcher at Oxford University.

Hong Kong's High Court has sentenced 45 major democrats to prison, alarming international observers who view it as a severe blow to the city's rule of law. Responses from global political figures highlight concerns over the implications for civil freedoms and the rule of law in the financial hub.