including legal scholar Benny Tai, who was also one of the leaders of the “Occupy Central” movement in 2014 — were committed on Monday and Tuesday.
Defendants who submit a non-guilty plea are committed for trial, and those who plead guilty committed for sentencing, according to the Magistrates Ordinance.
The one outstanding defendant will join the cohort later after further proceedings before the magistrate.
Hong Kong faces scrutiny over whether its legal system can maintain its independence as China cracks down on dissent with the security law.
More than 180 people have been arrested over the past two years since the security law came into force — the bulk of them activists, unionists and journalists — and 115 have been prosecuted.
Three men have been convicted and sentenced to jail for 43 months to nine years. One of them sought to appeal his 69-month sentence on Tuesday, with the court reserving judgement until early September.
The 47 defendants form the largest group in one single case under the law.
Authorities say the security law has successfully returned stability to the financial hub, which was upended for seven straight months by large and sometimes violent protests in 2019.
But critics say it has eviscerated civil liberties and the political plurality the city used to enjoy.
Source: Voice of America