The government and Legislative Assembly of the Macao Special Administrative Region firmly have condemned external interference in the SAR’s internal affairs, as well as the smearing of its judiciary following the first national security case adjudicated by the city’s courts.

In separate statements issued on Saturday, they expressed strong dissatisfaction with the unfounded remarks by the European External Action Service, the United States Congressional-Executive Commission on China, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and individual members of the European Parliament concerning the sentencing of former Macao legislator Au Kam-san.

Au was sentenced to 12-and-a-half years in prison on Friday in Macao’s first national security trial at the Lower Court of the Court of First Instance.

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“Au Kam-san is a Chinese citizen. The adjudication by the SAR’s courts, in accordance with the law, of his case involving offenses endangering national security is entirely an internal affair of the Macao SAR,” the SAR government said.

“The Macao SAR’s judicial authorities have consistently adhered to statutory procedures strictly, upheld procedural fairness, conducted trials in accordance with the law and delivered judgments publicly, fully safeguarding the lawful rights and interests of the parties concerned,” it added.

The court heard that from 2022, Au had colluded with multiple foreign anti-China organizations, and provided them with sensitive and inflammatory information for publication overseas and online to incite hatred against the Macao SAR government and the central government, and to sabotage the 2024 chief executive election in Macao. 

The SAR government said Macao’s Criminal Code and Law on Safeguarding National Security adhere to the principle of legality in defining offenses and prescribing penalties, providing rigorous and clear definitions of all offenses.

“The court convicted and sentenced the accused strictly on the basis of the applicable legal provisions and the facts established by the evidence. Any relevant arbitrary interference and unjustified accusation will not be tolerated,” it said.

It added that no organization or individual should use “human rights” or “freedom” as a shield for engaging in unlawful activities that endanger national security. 

“In Macao, no one is above the law,” the Legislative Assembly said, adding that any act that challenges the fundamental state system established by the Constitution or violates the Law on the Maintenance of National Security must be severely punished in accordance with the law.

“As a former member of the Legislative Assembly, Au Kam-san was expected to strictly abide by the law and uphold his oath of office,” it said. 

“However, he had long engaged in collusion with overseas organizations and, during the performance of his duties, disclosed confidential information obtained from closed-door Legislative Assembly meetings to foreign entities. Such acts clearly violate legal provisions and must incur corresponding legal consequences.”