Hong Kong Tiananmen vigil leaders convicted in security case
Bbc · 3 SOURCESabout 1 hour ago2 MIN
Summary
Two former leaders of the now-defunct Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China were found guilty at West Kowloon Court of inciting others to subvert state power under Hong Kong’s national security law. Lee Cheuk-yan, 69, and Chow Hang-tung, 41, were convicted after prosecutors argued the group’s long-standing call to “end one-party rule” amounted to incitement against the Chinese Communist Party and central authorities. Former lawmaker Albert Ho, 74, had already pleaded guilty when the trial opened in January and is also awaiting sentence. The offence carries a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment, with sentencing to take place later.
Key Points
- The case centred on the Hong Kong Alliance, which for decades organised Victoria Park candlelight vigils marking the 4 June 1989 Tiananmen crackdown in Beijing.
- Prosecutors said the alliance used annual events, publications, a June 4 museum and other activities to promote its call to end one-party dictatorship.
- Judges said Lee, Chow and Ho had remained hostile to the Chinese Communist Party and persisted with the alliance’s resistance line after the security law took effect
- The court acknowledged the activists did not propose a specific timetable or method, and that the alliance neither used nor advocated violence
- Authorities banned the annual vigils in 2020 citing Covid-19 restrictions, and the gatherings have not resumed since the national security law came into force that year
Why It Matters
Hong Kong was long one of the only places under Chinese rule where large public commemorations of the 1989 crackdown could be held openly, making this case a major marker of how political expression has changed. The convictions also test how far slogans, memorial activities and human rights advocacy can be treated as national security offences in the city.