Hong Kong convicts Tiananmen vigil leaders of subversion

A Hong Kong court on Friday convicted two former organizers of the city's decades-old Tiananmen Square vigil of inciting subversion, in one of the most closely watched national security cases since Beijing imposed its sweeping security law on the territory in 2020.

Lee Cheuk-yan, 69, and Chow Hang-tung, 41, former leaders of the now-disbanded Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, were found guilty at the Court of First Instance over the group's longstanding call to "end one-party rule" in China. The alliance itself was also convicted. Both defendants face up to 10 years in prison and have been remanded in custody since 2021.scmp+2

The Case

Prosecutors argued that the alliance's advocacy for ending one-party rule violated the Chinese constitution, which guarantees the Communist Party's leadership, and amounted to inciting others to overthrow the central government through unlawful means. The defense countered that the slogan was about moving toward democracy, not toppling the party. Lee told the court the phrase meant letting people decide who leads them. Chow, a barrister who represented herself, said it meant ending a state where power is unrestricted.clickorlando+1

Three government-vetted judges presided over the trial, which began in January and concluded closing statements on its 24th day, far shorter than the 75 days originally scheduled. A third defendant, former vice-chairman Albert Ho, pleaded guilty in January and awaits sentencing.scmp+1

Broader Crackdown

For three decades, the alliance organized candlelight vigils in Victoria Park that drew tens of thousands annually to commemorate victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown — the only large-scale public remembrance permitted anywhere in China. The vigil was banned in 2020 during the pandemic, weeks before Beijing imposed the national security law.krmg

Eric Lai, a senior fellow with the Georgetown Center for Asian Law, said the inciting subversion charge was commonly used in mainland China to criminalize human rights lawyers and intellectuals, including Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo. "We can see to what extent the court in Hong Kong falls into the level of the party-led judiciary in the mainland through the criminal verdict," he said.clickorlando+1

Defiance From Detention

In a Patreon post Thursday, Chow recalled being shackled in handcuffs and waist and ankle chains for trips to court, saying she was walked by correctional officers "like a dog." She wrote: "Justice lives in the hearts of the people. There is no need to look up to this kind of top-down ruling, and one verdict doesn't matter much."krmg+1

Lee and Chow are expected to be sentenced at a later date alongside Ho.