Hong Kong Tiananmen vigil organisers found guilty of inciting subversion

Hong Kong’s High Court on Friday convicted two pro-democracy activists, Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung, of inciting subversion for their role in organizing annual vigils commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, according to multiple international outlets.

The court found Lee, 69, and Chow, 41, guilty of “inciting other persons to organise, plan, commit or participate in acts by unlawful means with a view to subverting the state power,” according to a press summary cited by the Guardian and freemalaysiatoday.com. The verdict centered on their advocacy for the slogan “end one-party dictatorship,” which prosecutors argued aimed to destabilize China’s political system. Both face up to 10 years in prison, with sentencing pending. A third defendant, former lawmaker Albert Ho, had previously pleaded guilty to the same charge.

The case against Lee and Chow, leaders of the now-disbanded Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, hinged on their repeated calls for political reform. A three-judge panel ruled that their rhetoric, though nonviolent, “intended to cause others to lose confidence in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) by stirring up hostility and causing division,” according to the Guardian and straitstimes.com. The judges emphasized that the phrase “end one-party dictatorship” was interpreted as a call to overthrow the CCP’s leadership, violating the Chinese Constitution’s stipulation of the party’s “fundamental system.”

Lee and Chow, who have been detained since 2021, maintained their innocence throughout the trial, arguing that their advocacy for democracy did not seek to dismantle the CCP but to promote political pluralism. Chow, a barrister, defended herself in court, stating that “speaking the truth has become inciting hatred” under the national security law. She later described her treatment in prison as increasingly restrictive, with staff escorting her “like a dog on a lead” using chains and restraints, according to the Guardian and freemalaysiatoday.com.

The conviction has drawn sharp international criticism. The UK Foreign Office condemned the use of the national security law to punish “peaceful acts of remembrance,” while France and Germany called the verdict a violation of human rights, as reported by the Guardian. Amnesty International labeled the ruling a “grim milestone” in the erosion of Hong Kong’s freedoms, and Human Rights Watch accused Beijing of treating “remembrance as a national security threat,” according to the straitstimes.com.

Public commemorations of the 1989 crackdown, once a defining feature of Hong Kong’s political culture, have been effectively banned since the 2020 national security law. The annual candlelight vigils, which once drew tens of thousands to Victoria Park, were suspended during the coronavirus pandemic and later outlawed as part of broader crackdowns on dissent. The Hong Kong government has framed the law as necessary to restore stability after 2019’s pro-democracy protests, but critics argue it has dismantled the city’s once-vibrant civil society, as noted by the Guardian and straitstimes.com.

Supporters of Lee and Chow described the verdict as a symbol of Beijing’s tightening control over Hong Kong. One observer told the Guardian, “This case illustrates the absolute power of Beijing in reshaping Hong Kong’s civil society through the national security law.” Others, like Chow’s mother, expressed hope for a “healthier environment” but acknowledged the profound impact of the ruling. Meanwhile, Hong Kong’s police chief, Steve Li, praised the conviction as a victory against “seeds of hatred” planted by the Alliance, according to the straitstimes.com.

The case underscores the broader targeting of pro-democracy figures under the national security law. Since 2020, dozens of activists, journalists, and opposition leaders have been arrested or forced into exile. The law, which expanded Beijing’s authority over Hong Kong, has been criticized for enabling arbitrary prosecutions and silencing dissent. As Lee and Chow await sentencing, their conviction signals the continued erosion of the “one country, two systems” framework promised to Hong Kong at its 1997 handover to China, according to the straitstimes.com.