A Hong Kong court sentenced 45 leading pro-democracy figures to jail, ranging from four years and two months to 10 years, in the single largest trial under a national security law that critics say has been used to eliminate political dissent in the Chinese territory.

The dozens of defendants, who included opposition politicians, academics, activists and others, were charged in connection with their roles in an unofficial primary election held in 2020, weeks after the controversial law went into effect.