The first batch of individuals jailed in the landmark Hong Kong national security trial of “47 democrats” accused of conspiracy to commit subversion was freed on Tuesday after being behind bars for more than four years.

Four former Hong Kong lawmakers have been released after spending more than four years in prison for their conviction under a Beijing-imposed law that crushed a once-thriving pro-democracy movement.

The four were part of a group known as the "Hong Kong 47," and were rounded up for taking part in an unofficial primary poll in 2020 that drew more than 600,000 people.