Hong Kong Court Convicts Tiananmen Vigil Organizers of Inciting Subversion

Convictions Handed Down at West Kowloon Court

Two figures, Chow Hang-tung and Lee Cheuk-yan, have been convicted of inciting subversion under the city’s Beijing-imposed National Security Law.

The verdict, delivered at the West Kowloon Court, targets their roles in organizing annual vigils commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. Both activists face up to 10 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for a later date alongside Albert Ho Chun-yan, who previously entered a guilty plea to the same charge. International human rights monitors note the ruling marks another milestone in the systematic dismantling of Hong Kong’s civil society and public historical remembrance.

Three Decades of Victoria Park Vigils

Chow and Lee served as leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China. The organization coordinated the city’s candlelight vigils for three decades.

For years, Victoria Park hosted the only large-scale public commemorations of the Tiananmen crackdown on Chinese soil, drawing tens of thousands of participants annually. Those gatherings ended after authorities banned the events in 2020 and 2021, citing pandemic restrictions, shortly before Beijing enacted the sweeping national security legislation.

Clash Over ‘Ending One-Party Rule’

During the trial, prosecutors argued that the alliance’s core demand of “ending one-party rule” amounted to an unlawful incitement to overthrow China’s ruling Communist Party.

Defending herself in court, Chow countered that the slogan referred to ending a state where power was unrestricted. Lee similarly testified that the call was about moving toward democracy, letting the people decide who leads them, rather than dismantling the party’s leadership.

Amnesty International Demands Immediate Release

International reaction to the verdict was swift.

Photo: abc.net.au

Fernando Cheung, an overseas spokesperson for Amnesty International Hong Kong, described the outcome as a dismaying verdict that underlines how the security law is deployed to punish peaceful remembrance. Sarah Brooks, Amnesty’s deputy regional director, called Chow and Lee prisoners of conscience who committed no recognizable crime and demanded their immediate release.

Heavy Security and Rain Outside Courthouse

Security remained heavy outside the courthouse as supporters and former alliance members queued in the rain.

Authorities barred certain individuals carrying memorial materials from entering the building, underscoring the ongoing suppression of public references to the 1989 crackdown.