The trial of Au Kam San, former deputy of Macau and Portuguese citizen, begins on September 16 in a case that sets a precedent in Macau. This is the first major national security trial against an opposition figure since the passage of the State Security Defense Law in 2009, legislation that was revised in 2023. The Court of First Instance decided that the hearing will take place behind closed doors, following a request from the Public Prosecutor's Office confirmed by the State Security Defense Commission, to safeguard national security interests.
Au Kam San faces three charges: subversion against the political power of the State, establishment of links with organizations or individuals outside the MSAR to commit acts against State security, and breach of secrecy. The crime of subversion can be punished with imprisonment between 10 and 25 years. The former parliamentarian, who served as deputy for about two decades, benefits from the presumption of innocence until final judicial decision, and will be represented by a lawyer chosen by the court and approved by the State Security Defense Commission.
The case carries particular political significance. Au Kam San was historically associated with Macau's democratic wing and the annual June 4 vigil in memory of the victims of the Tiananmen crackdown, having been one of the founders of the association that promoted this initiative, which has since been dissolved. The defendant's daughter, Cherry Au, stated that authorities seized books from her father, including works related to Tiananmen, and that the family remained for a long time without access to the activist after his detention on July 30, 2025.
The beginning of the trial places Macau before a sensitive case, in which for the first time a prominent political figure from the former democratic opposition faces charges framed under State security legislation. The reserved nature of the hearing significantly reduces direct monitoring by the public and media, increasing international scrutiny over how Macau applies its national security legislation.
