HONG KONG, Aug. 21: A Hong Kong court on Friday convicted two former organisers of the city’s annual Tiananmen Square vigil in a national security case, marking another major development in the crackdown on the territory’s once active pro-democracy movement.
Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung, former leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, were charged in 2021 with inciting subversion under the national security law imposed by Beijing.
Both defendants pleaded not guilty. They face a maximum prison sentence of 10 years, while the alliance was also found guilty in the case. Lee and Chow are expected to be sentenced at a later hearing.
The annual candlelight vigil organised by the alliance had for decades been one of the city’s largest public commemorations of the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown in Beijing. Tens of thousands of people traditionally attended the event each year.
Authorities banned the vigil in 2020, citing COVID-19 restrictions. The ban came shortly before Beijing introduced the national security law in Hong Kong following months of mass anti-government protests in 2019.
Prosecutors argued during the trial that the case was not political and centred on the alliance’s calls for an end to China’s one-party rule. They alleged that the organisation sought to encourage others to overthrow the Communist Party’s leadership through unlawful means.
Lee rejected that interpretation, telling the court that the demand was intended to promote democracy and allow people to choose their leaders. Chow, who represented herself during the proceedings, similarly argued that ending one-party rule meant challenging unrestricted political power rather than advocating unlawful action.
The judges did not immediately provide detailed reasons for Friday’s verdict, saying the full judgment would be published online later.
The case has drawn criticism from rights advocates, who view the prosecution as evidence of shrinking space for political expression in Hong Kong. The territory’s government and Beijing have maintained that the national security law is necessary to safeguard stability.
The trial also involved former alliance member Albert Ho, who pleaded guilty when proceedings began in January. His guilty plea could lead to a reduced sentence.
The annual vigil has not returned since its 2020 ban. Following the lifting of pandemic restrictions, the former gathering site was instead used for events organised by pro-Beijing groups.
The Tiananmen crackdown remains a highly sensitive subject in mainland China. Hundreds of people, and possibly more, were killed when Chinese troops moved into central Beijing on June 4, 1989, to suppress pro-democracy demonstrations.
The verdict against Lee and Chow is expected to further underscore the sweeping political changes Hong Kong has undergone since the introduction of the security law.