Macao’s First National-Security Arrest of Former Lawmaker Sparks Fairness Concerns
Former Macao legislator Au Kam San, detained under the territory’s national-security law, remains in sealed detention with limited lawyer access a year after his July 2025 arrest.
In July 2025, former Macao pro-democracy legislator Au Kam San was taken into custody on allegations of providing false, seditious material to foreign anti-China organisations and subverting state power. A year later, his daughter Au Hon I, residing in London, reports that he has been kept in incommunicado detention, barred from seeing the lawyer the family selected, and that authorities confiscated books linked to the Tiananmen protests.
A preliminary hearing on July 2 confirmed several national-security offences, authorising a court-appointed lawyer vetted by the Macau national security committee, and warned that convictions could lead to up to 30 years imprisonment. The Macau government has not commented, while the Portuguese consulate and the European Union have protested the denial of consular and due-process rights. Observers note the case differs from Hong Kong’s security prosecutions, suggesting Macau’s legal system offers even fewer safeguards for dissent. Critics warn the secrecy surrounding the proceedings undermines confidence in Macau’s rule of law.
Why it matters
The case tests Macau’s legal independence and raises international concerns about due process under its national-security regime.
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