Two individuals who were previously involved in organizing Hong Kong’s long-standing vigil commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown have been found guilty in a national security case stemming from a law imposed by China. Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung, former leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, were convicted of inciting subversion under the national security law. The alliance, along with the two individuals, faced charges in 2021. The verdict is indicative of the decline of freedom of expression in Hong Kong since its handover to China in 1997.
The candlelight vigil organized by the alliance was a significant annual event that attracted tens of thousands of participants to mourn the victims of the Tiananmen Square incident. The vigil was prohibited in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic and shortly before the implementation of the security law to suppress the 2019 anti-government protests.
Observers view this trial as a reflection of the diminishing freedom of expression in the former British colony. The sentencing for Lee and Chow is pending, with the judges yet to provide a detailed explanation for the conviction. The charge of inciting subversion has been commonly used in mainland China to criminalize dissenting voices, as noted by Eric Lai from the Georgetown Center for Asian Law.
During the trial, prosecutors alleged that the alliance’s activities aimed to overthrow the ruling Communist Party of China. Lee and Chow defended their actions, emphasizing the pursuit of democracy and rejecting accusations of attempting to end the party’s leadership through unlawful means. The trial, initially expected to last 75 days, concluded after 24 days, with another defendant, Albert Ho, entering a guilty plea.
Supporters of Lee and Chow cast doubts on the allegations, with many expressing concerns over the implications of the guilty verdict for the alliance. The crackdown in Tiananmen Square in 1989, where hundreds, if not thousands, lost their lives, marked a turning point in China’s history, halting political liberalization alongside economic reforms.
Following the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, the former vigil site in Hong Kong was overtaken by a carnival organized by pro-Beijing groups. Beijing defended the implementation of the security law in 2020 as necessary for the city’s stability, leading to the imprisonment of prominent activists like Jimmy Lai and the dissolution of various civil society organizations, including the alliance.
