Macau to Hold First Closed-Door National Security Trial for Ex-Lawmaker Au Kam San
According to Macau’s final appeals court, the closed proceedings were ordered to protect national security interests under an expanded legal framework.
The Legal Framework and Arrest History
Authorities detained 69-year-old Au Kam San in July 2025, marking the first arrest under Macau’s significantly expanded national security legislation. The Chinese casino hub broadened the scope of its security laws in May 2023, followed by a new bill passed earlier this year that explicitly empowers judges to conduct national security trials behind closed doors.
According to judicial authorities in Macau, Au will stand trial as a “principal offender” facing allegations of subversion and other related crimes. The decision to close the courtroom doors was confirmed by Macau’s national security committee following a formal request from the city’s public prosecutions office. Under Macau’s security law, subversion offenses carry a maximum prison sentence of up to 25 years.
Defense Objections and International Criticism
London-based barrister Michael Polak, who represents Au, stated that the judicial process bears all the hallmarks of a show trial designed to shield state evidence from public and press scrutiny.
Polak noted that Au, a Portuguese national, has been kept incommunicado for an entire year without access to his family or an independent lawyer of his choosing. While authorities stated that a court-appointed lawyer previously accepted by Au will continue to represent him, Polak argued that a state-selected attorney fails to remedy the fundamental deficiencies of a closed trial.
“He will be prosecuted by the Macau authorities, judged by the Macau authorities through a compliant judiciary and ‘defended’ by the Macau authorities through the national security committee-selected lawyer, which really outlines how farcical the process is,” Polak said, as reported by Agence France-Presse.
Family Appeals and Broader Implications
Au’s daughter, Cherry, issued a statement expressing deep concern over the lack of communication and transparency. She emphasized that the family remains barred from visiting or communicating with her father as the trial date approaches.
“All we ask for is a fair trial, due process, and for his more than three decades of dedication to the people of Macau not to be erased or forgotten,” Cherry said in a July statement.
Independent legal groups and rights monitors have repeatedly warned that the new in-camera hearing rules could undermine government accountability and apply broadly to routine judicial cases.
As the September 16 proceedings commence, legal observers across the region will watch closely to determine how Macau’s judiciary applies the expanded national security framework in practice, setting a critical precedent for future politically sensitive cases in the special administrative region.