Hong Kong – A court in the Special Administrative Region is set to hand down sentences on Friday for three activists who have led the city’s annual commemoration of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. Lee Cheuk‑yan, Chow Hang‑tung and Albert Ho were convicted earlier this year of inciting subversion under the Beijing‑imposed national security law and face up to ten years in prison.
Background of the vigil and the security law
For three decades the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China organized a public vigil in Victoria Park that drew tens of thousands of participants. The gathering was the only large‑scale, open‑air remembrance of the Tiananmen tragedy anywhere in China. Authorities banned the event in 2020, citing public‑health concerns, but the ban has been widely interpreted as part of a broader crackdown on dissent.
Since the 2019 protest movement, Beijing’s national security law has been used to silence critics, reduce electoral choice and imprison pro‑democracy leaders. High‑profile cases include former media tycoon Jimmy Lai, sentenced to 20 years in February, and numerous civil‑society groups that have dissolved under pressure.
Details of the case
Lee, Chow and Ho were charged in September 2021. During the trial, three government‑appointed judges found the trio guilty of inciting subversion, stating that their calls to “end one‑party dictatorship” encouraged supporters to overthrow the ruling Communist Party by unlawful means. Lee and Chow entered not‑guilty pleas, while Ho pleaded guilty, a decision that could lower his penalty.
Chow, who represented herself, argued that the verdict criminalizes peaceful calls for democratic change. She said the judgment implies that pursuing democracy is a crime and insisted she does not deserve even a single day of imprisonment.
Official responses
China’s foreign ministry office in Hong Kong released a statement emphasizing that the city is governed by the rule of law and that unlawful activities cannot be justified under the guise of “freedom of speech and press.” The ministry’s remarks were a direct response to criticism from foreign governments regarding the verdict.
Urania Chiu, a law lecturer at Oxford Brookes University, noted that the guilty verdicts confirm that even peaceful advocacy for democratic reform in China is now deemed criminal in Hong Kong.
Implications for Hong Kong’s civil liberties
The upcoming sentences are viewed as a barometer of the city’s remaining freedoms. The annual vigil had become a symbol of the civil liberties that once set Hong Kong apart from mainland China. Its suppression, along with the broader application of the security law, signals a continued erosion of those freedoms.
Observers warn that the convictions may further deter civic engagement and discourage the remaining independent voices in the city’s press and civil‑society sectors.
Original reporting: Alexandria, VA News – WTOP News — read the source article.
