On March 21, Hong Kong's Court of Final Appeal convicted two prominent activists of subversion under the national security law in connection with organizing annual memorial events for the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown.
The defendants are Lee Cheuk-yan, 69, a former legislator, and Chow Hang-tung, 41, a lawyer. Both were leaders of the disbanded pro-democracy group Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China. They were charged with advocating the end of the one-party system, a long-standing slogan of the group.
According to the indictment, the slogan aimed to incite hostility toward the Chinese Communist Party and undermine the political system established under China's constitution. The defendants denied the charges, arguing that their activities were peaceful and protected by Hong Kong's freedom of expression. A third defendant, Albert Ho, 74, pleaded guilty before the trial began.
Both have been detained since September 2021 and face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Sentencing will take place at a later date.
Hong Kong was previously one of the few places under Chinese sovereignty that allowed large public memorials of the June 4, 1989, event. Since 2020, authorities have banned these gatherings, initially citing the COVID-19 pandemic.
The national security law, imposed by Beijing on Hong Kong in June 2020, criminalizes secession, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with foreign forces. Authorities say the law is necessary to restore order after the 2019 protests. However, human rights groups argue that its broad provisions have been used to eliminate political opposition and restrict personal freedoms.
In response to the ruling, Amnesty International called Lee and Chow “prisoners of conscience” and said they “should never have been prosecuted in the first place.” The organization demanded their immediate and unconditional release.
