Two individuals who previously organized Hong Kong’s annual vigil commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown have been found guilty in a national security case under a law imposed by China. Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung, former leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, were convicted of inciting subversion in 2021 and face up to 10 years in prison. The alliance itself was also found guilty.
This verdict is part of a series of legal actions against Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement, which has seen significant suppression by both Hong Kong and Chinese authorities. The candlelight vigil organized by the alliance, which used to attract tens of thousands of participants each year to mourn the Tiananmen Square victims, was banned in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent imposition of the security law by Beijing to suppress the 2019 protests.
The trial of Lee and Chow is seen as a reflection of the diminishing freedom of expression in the former British colony since its return to Chinese rule in 1997. The judges have not yet provided the reasons for the conviction, with the full judgment expected to be released online later. The charge of inciting subversion is commonly used in mainland China to target human rights advocates and activists.
During the trial, prosecutors argued that the alliance’s calls to end one-party rule in China were aimed at inciting the overthrow of the Communist Party’s leadership. However, Lee and Chow maintained that their intentions were to promote democracy and not to advocate for the removal of the party. Chow, who represented herself in court, criticized the handling of the case, emphasizing the importance of justice being rooted in the people’s beliefs rather than in top-down rulings.
Supporters of the defendants gathered outside the court during the trial, expressing doubts about the allegations and the legal proceedings. The crackdown on the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989 resulted in the deaths of hundreds, shaping China’s political trajectory without corresponding liberalization alongside its economic reforms.
Following the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, the former vigil site in Hong Kong was replaced by a carnival organized by pro-Beijing groups. Beijing defended the imposition of the security law in 2020 as necessary for the city’s stability, leading to the incarceration of prominent activists and the dissolution of various civil society organizations, including the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China.