The trustees and secretary of the fund were arrested under the Beijing-imposed national security law two weeks ago on suspicion of ‘colluding’ with foreign forces. They were all released on police bail without charge except for one who is serving a prison term for a banned pro-democracy event in October 2019.

Tuesday’s court hearing saw dozens of residents line up for seats in the public gallery. Consulate staff representing numerous countries such as the US, Britain, Australia, Germany, France, Austria and Ireland, as well as representatives from the European Union Office, also attended the hearing.

The principal magistrate ordered all parties to return to court on August 9 for a pre-trial review, while the official five-day trial is set to take place between September 19 and 23.