In brief
Lee Cheuk‑yan and Chow Hang‑tung, both prominent figures in Hong Kong’s protest movement, were convicted of encouraging subversion under the city’s national security law. The case followed a 2020 ban on public memorials of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, a move linked to Covid restrictions. Prosecutors argued that the activists’ actions endanger national security while the defendants maintained the law itself was on trial. A third ally, former lawmaker Albert Ho, pleaded guilty earlier. Sentencing is yet to take place, but the verdict highlights the tightening grip on dissent in Hong Kong.
Lee Cheuk‑yan, 69, and Chow Hang‑tung, 41, two long‑time leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance for Democracy and the Rule of Law, have been convicted on charges of inciting subversion of state power under the city’s controversial national security law introduced by China in 2020.
The conviction follows a ban on public vigils commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, which was imposed in 2020 under Covid‑19 measures but has never been lifted. The activists organized annual gatherings at the old China People’s Bank in Hong Kong to remember the thousands who died when the Chinese army confronted pro‑democracy protestors.
Prosecutors argued that, in the “name of human rights”, the defendants endanger national security. In court, Chow represented herself and reminded the judges that the very law she was accused of violating was itself on trial. Lee had already been behind bars since 2021 after his arrest for the same offence.
A third defendant, former legislator Albert Ho, 74, pleaded guilty in January, and is also facing a maximum 10‑year sentence. A full sentence is still pending.
Amnesty International has criticised the case, claiming the law’s definition of “subversion” is too vague, overly broad and arbitrary, raising concerns about freedom of expression in Hong Kong. The verdict underscores the tightening restrictions on political dissent in the Chinese‑governed Special Administrative Region.
