On Monday, Vanessa Chan joined the queue outside the West Kowloon Law Courts to attend the hearing of 47 Hong Kong democracy advocates charged under the national security law. She was there to support her husband, veteran activist “Long Hair” Leung Kwok-hung. After working together for years at the League of Social Democrats, the couple wed in January.

The prosecution was “to be expected,” Chan said, who spent her time reading documents as she waited to be admitted into the courtroom. It was important for the public not to lose hope, and as the defendants pay the price for their beliefs, those who still have their freedom should continue striving, she said.

The courts on Monday permitted one family member per defendant to attend Monday’s hearing. The 47 democrats each faced one count of subverting state power, and could face up to life in prison.

Au Pui-fun, wife of former lawmaker Eddie Chu, said she chose to accept the situation calmly. Hong Kong’s changing political environment had dimmed her optimism, and she had steeled herself for the possibility of Chu’s imprisonment. She had prepared a lot of books so that Chu could occupy himself in jail, she said.

The mother of former lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting said she was exhausted by the long wait. Despite being scheduled for the morning, the hearing did not really get under way until after 3:30 p.m. She had slept poorly the night before, and she had received many messages from friends and family expressing concern — which only made her more anxious, she said.

The wife and son of legal scholar Benny Tai declined to be interviewed outside the court building.

“I don’t think the court can decide whether they are guilty … in my view they didn’t do anything wrong, and that’s enough,” said district councilor Jordan Pang, brother of defendant Michael Pang.

Activist Emilia Wong said the situation was “laughable and absurd,” and that the democrats — including her boyfriend Ventus Lau — were chosen as sacrificial lambs by the Hong Kong government.

It was important to take bad news on the chin and to keep spirits high, she said. “Feeling glum all the time doesn’t help anyone.”

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