Extensive Media Coverage of Case of Mr Au Kam San, Former Pro-Democracy Lawmaker and First Person Prosecuted Under Macao's National Security Law

Justice Abroad Director Michael Polak is representing Mr Au Kam San, a 68-year-old former Macao pro-democracy lawmaker and Portuguese national who was seized and then detained incommunicado on 30 July 2025.

Michael Polak, acts as Mr Au’s international counsel and has been meeting with the European Union, Portuguese Authorities, and the international press in relation to this case to push for Mr Au’s release. A previous detailed press release about his detention can be read here.

There has recently been extensive coverage of Mr Au’s case given the 1-year anniversary of his detention. This coverage has included a detailed article by Kanis Leung for Associate Press which has been published by news publications around the world:

In this article Kanis covers the background to the controversial national security law of Macao, the toll that Mr Au’s detention is having on his family and quotes his daughter who stated ‘“For almost a year my family could not speak with my father as he was kept in cruel incommunicado detention,” she said. “Now we are still unable to speak to him about his case nor provide him with a lawyer so he can properly fight his case.”

The article also notes that Michael Polak has ‘called on Portugal and the European Union to speak up about Au’s case’ and that ‘The EU said in a statement that denial of judicial due process violates Au’s rights and it continues to raise concerns directly with Macao authorities.’

In the video (see bottom of news release) Michael Polak set out that Mr Au has been denied access to an independent lawyer and access to the Portuguese Consul.

Mr Au’s case was also recently covered in the independent:

This article includes information that Michael Polak says Au’s arrest violated the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights that applied in Macau, and quotes him as saying “It seems like they are following the footsteps of Hong Kong. It’s a big mistake in relation to the reputation of Macau as somewhere where people can do business and people can discuss things” and that “It is important to put Au’s case in the spotlight because otherwise they might just continue to hold him without trial.”

Further recent reporting of the case has appeared on the BBC’s Mandarin language news service as well as on Portuguese broadcaster RTP whilst the case has also been covered previously:

MSN Portugal, 12 July 2026: “Activista português detido há 11 meses em Macau: família está desesperada” 

Notes for the Press 

For comments on this case by the lawyer, Michael Polak, please email contact@justiceabroad.co.uk 

Michael Polak 

Michael Polak is an international barrister based in London. He practises in international, criminal, and human rights law from Church Court Chambers.  Michael is also Director of Justice Abroad which helps people who need assistance dealing with legal proceedings overseas as well as working on human rights advocacy for groups and individuals. He is chair of the group Lawyers for Uyghur Rights and was awarded the International Bar Association’s Outstanding Young Lawyer Award for 2021.  

Michael Polak