Hong Kong court convicts two Tiananmen vigil organizers under national security law
A Hong Kong court on Friday convicted two pro-democracy activists of inciting subversion for organizing annual vigils commemorating China’s 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown.
Lee Cheuk-yan, 69, a longtime labor and human rights advocate, and Chow Hang-tung, 41, a Cambridge-educated lawyer, were found guilty under the national security law imposed by Beijing in 2020. Both were leaders of the now-defunct Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, which organized the candlelit vigils for three decades until authorities banned the event in 2020. A third defendant, veteran pro-democracy lawmaker Albert Ho, pleaded guilty in January and awaits sentencing.
The verdict was delivered at West Kowloon Court, where prosecutors argued the activists “endangered national security in the name of human rights.” Chow, who represented herself, told the court during closing submissions that seeking justice for Tiananmen victims was a moral duty and should not be classified as incitement. She quoted Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo, stating the Alliance opposed one-party rule but had no enemies. “No matter how omnipotent the Communist Party’s leadership may be, it cannot dictate our conscience,” she said .
The Alliance’s vigils, held annually in Victoria Park, once drew tens of thousands to mourn the victims of the 1989 crackdown. The event was prohibited in 2020, weeks before Beijing enacted the national security law following the 2019 protests. Chow and Lee have been jailed since their 2021 arrests. Chow, who joined the Alliance in 2010, has undertaken hunger strikes each June to mark the anniversary .
The Hong Kong government defended the national security law, stating rights and freedoms are protected under it. “The HKSAR Government strongly condemns any biased remarks and smears against the HKSAR’s effort for safeguarding national security,” a spokesperson said in response to inquiries .
The pair face up to 10 years in prison, with sentencing expected at a later date. The case is the latest in a broader crackdown on dissent in Hong Kong, where authorities have restricted public commemoration of the Tiananmen crackdown since 2020 .
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