Hong Kong Tiananmen Vigil Organizers Convicted Under National Security Law

Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung were found guilty of inciting subversion by government-approved judges, following a trial that spotlighted the ongoing erosion of public freedoms in the former British colony.

Convictions Under the National Security Law

Lee and Chow served as former leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, an organization that was also convicted during the proceedings, according to reporting by the Associated Press. The defendants faced charges under a China-imposed national security law enacted in 2020. Both individuals had pleaded not guilty to the charge of inciting subversion and now face a maximum prison term of 10 years, with sentencing scheduled for a later date.

The prosecution argued that the alliance’s core demand to end one-party rule amounted to an unlawful call to overthrow China’s ruling Communist Party. According to the three judges presiding over the case, the phrasing sought to undermine the constitutional status of the party rather than engage in lawful multiparty cooperation. The panel wrote that the defendants intentionally encouraged supporters to wait for an opportune time to achieve that goal through unlawful means.

Defense Arguments and Legal Context

During the trial, Lee testified that the group’s slogan focused on promoting democracy and allowing citizens to choose their leadership, rather than seeking to dismantle the Communist Party’s existence. Chow, a barrister who represented herself in court, argued that the demand simply targeted unrestricted state power. In a social media post published prior to the verdict, Chow addressed her imprisonment and the legal process, stating, 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.

According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, a third co-defendant, Albert Ho, pleaded guilty at the start of the proceedings in January and is currently awaiting sentencing alongside Lee and Chow. Observers and legal experts have noted that the case mirrors mainland China’s prosecution of political dissidents. Eric Lai, a senior fellow with the Georgetown Center for Asian Law, told the Associated Press that the verdict illustrates how Hong Kong’s judiciary functions similarly to party-led courts on the mainland.

Historical Significance of the Tiananmen Vigils

For three decades, the Hong Kong Alliance organized an annual candlelight gathering at Victoria Park to mourn the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. The event regularly attracted tens of thousands of participants, serving as the sole large-scale public commemoration of the crackdown on Chinese soil. Mainland authorities strictly prohibit discussion of the event and ban public memorials.

The Hong Kong vigils continued under the “one country, two systems” framework until authorities banned the gathering during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, shortly before the enactment of the national security law. Amnesty International Hong Kong overseas spokesperson Fernando Cheung said in a statement reported by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that the verdict highlights how the security legislation penalizes peaceful remembrance of historical events.