Two Hong Kong democracy activists pleaded guilty on Tuesday to organising or participating in an illegal assembly during massive anti-government protests in 2019.

The two were among nine prominent activists whose trial got under way in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory. The nine were arrested with several others in April last year in what was seen as a move to crackdown on dissent.

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The two who pleaded guilty were Au Nok-hin and Leung Yiu-chung, both former members of the Hong Kong legislature. Au had been charged with both organising and participating in an illegal assembly and Leung was charged with participating in an illegal assembly. The charges stemmed from an August 18, 2019, protest.

The other seven pleaded not guilty. They included Martin Lee, an 82-year-old veteran of Hong Kong's democracy movement, and Jimmy Lai, a newspaper publisher who is being held without bail on other charges related to his pro-democracy activities.

Before the trial, supporters and several of the accused rallied outside the court. One banner read “Peaceful Assembly is Not a Crime; Shame on Political Prosecution.” Lee Cheuk-yan, one of the nine defendants, said that the law has become an instrument of political suppression.

Also read: Negative views of China rise sharply in advanced democracies

"It is very sad to witness the deterioration of the rule of law in Hong Kong into a rule by fear,” he said.

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