Nationality Chinese (Macao) — Politics / former Macao legislator

Au Kam San

Also known as: 區錦新, Au Kam-san

Updated on 10 November 2026

Politics and government Justice, police and intelligence

Former Macao pro-democracy legislator convicted in a national-security case.

Au Kam San, a former Macao pro-democracy legislator, was sentenced to 12½ years in prison on November 6, 2026 over national-security and secrecy offences. He was acquitted on two counts. Rights organisations challenge the fairness of the trial, while Macao authorities defend it.

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1Documented controversy

2Sources

1 followed by a conviction

§ Legal statuses reflect the documented sources as of the date shown; they replace neither court decisions nor the presumption of innocence. Counts are not a rating. Methodology

I. Documented controversies

March–November 2026

2026: sentenced to twelve and a half years in national-security case

Criminal conviction

Macao’s Court of First Instance sentenced Au on November 6 to 12 years and six months for five counts involving subversion, dealings with overseas groups and disclosure of confidential material. Two further counts were dismissed for insufficient evidence. Hearings were closed, while the verdict was read publicly.

State of the evidence: The judgment is officially documented; serious fair-trial criticisms have been raised.
Legal status — source text: First-instance criminal conviction on November 6, 2026; any appeal status unverified.
Attribution: National-security and secrecy offences found by the court.

Sources · 2

[1]
Macao SAR Government / Court of First InstanceO Tribunal Judicial de Base proferiu hoje de manhã acórdão no primeiro processo relativo à segurança do Estado e condenou o arguido Au Kam San na pena de prisão de 12 anos e 6 meses6 November 2026Court decisionHigh reliability
[2]
Human Rights WatchMacao: Ex-Lawmaker Gets 12.5 Years After Unfair Trial9 November 2026Official documentHigh reliability

Last verified: 10 November 2026

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II. Constellation of documented links

No documented link with another published profile for now.

Two profiles are linked when a documented controversy of one names the other. The link points to that controversy and its sources; it does not indicate a personal relationship.

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Controversia profile, updated 10 November 2026. Latest version: https://controversia.info/en/fiche/au-kam-san