Report: 2 Hong Kongers plead guilty to foreign collusion

HONG KONG (AP) — Two Hong Kongers have reportedly pleaded guilty to conspiring to collude with foreign forces as well as Next Digital founder Jimmy Lai to endanger national security Separately, local media are reporting that seven pro-democracy activists pleaded guilty to organizing and inciting others to take part in an unauthorized assembly held in 2019. The cases Thursday are part of a broad crackdown on dissent following anti-government protests that roiled the semi-autonomous Chinese territory in 2019. The protests were sparked by concerns that Beijing was infringing on the freedoms promised to the former British colony. Lawyers for the defendants in both cases could not be reached for comment and calls to the court went unanswered.