Dozens of Hong Kong pro-democracy figures will on Wednesday appear in court for the third consecutive day as their bail applications continue, in an unprecedented lawsuit that has landed four defendants in hospital and left many more exhausted.

On Tuesday, Chief Magistrate Victor So adjourned for the night at around 10:30 p.m., having heard all but eight of the applications. So said the court would resume at noon on Wednesday and that it would not take long for him to arrive at a decision.

The marathon session, just to have the cases of the 47 defendants mentioned in court, took 14 hours on Monday and 11 hours on Tuesday. Defense lawyers have complained that their clients are getting no chance to rest or take care of personal hygiene.

District councilor and barrister Lawrence Lau, who chose to represent himself in court, said he had not showered or had a change of clothes in three days.

“It turns out that stripping a person of his freedom will also deprive him of his hygiene and appearance. It takes away his confidence,” he told the magistrate.

Some of the suspects had slept for only one to two hours in the early hours of Tuesday, as they were not taken back to the Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre until after a significant delay, their lawyers said.

On Tuesday evening, So allowed some defendants to leave the courtroom to get rested, while other remaining defendants fell asleep at the dock. The magistrate also noted that legal scholar Benny Tai, who had to appear at a separate hearing, seemed tired.

The defendants, aged 23 to 64, each faces one count of “conspiracy to commit subversion” under the national security law, an offense that carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.

They are accused of organizing or participating in an unofficial primary held by the pro-democracy camp last summer, which prosecutors said was a conspiracy to cripple the Hong Kong government, according to a court document.

Prosecutors earlier argued that the 47 should be kept in custody while the police continued their investigation. The defense countered that it would be taking undue advantage of stringent bail rules under the national security law.

The Monday proceedings were brought to a halt around 2 a.m. after one of the defendants, district councilor Clarisse Yeung, fainted in court. Three others later said they were unwell and were also taken to hospital.

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