A Hong Kong court convicted two former organizers of the city's banned Tiananmen Square vigil on Thursday, ruling they had committed offenses under the Beijing-imposed national security law. The convictions represent a further erosion of freedoms in the semi-autonomous territory.
Chow Hang-tung, a former barrister and vice-chair of the now-disbanded Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, was found guilty of inciting subversion. Another former leader, Lee Cheuk-yan, was also convicted of the same charge, alongside inciting others to participate in an unauthorized assembly.
Both were accused of using the annual Tiananmen Square vigil, which commemorated the Chinese military's crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Beijing in 1989, as a platform to allegedly incite subversion against Beijing's rule. The prosecution argued that their activities, particularly speeches and calls for remembrance, constituted attempts to overthrow the government.
The Hong Kong Alliance had organized the candlelight vigil for three decades, drawing tens of thousands of participants. It was a prominent annual event that symbolized the city's unique freedoms. However, authorities banned the vigil in 2020, the same year Beijing imposed the sweeping national security law on Hong Kong following large-scale pro-democracy protests.
Chow and Lee were among several activists arrested in connection with their roles in the Hong Kong Alliance, which has since disbanded under pressure. Their trial, like many national security cases, proceeded without a jury, with a panel of judges hearing the evidence and arguments. The convictions are part of a broader crackdown on dissent in Hong Kong, which has seen numerous activists, politicians, and journalists arrested or prosecuted since the national security law was enacted. Critics argue the law has been used to stifle opposition and silence dissenting voices, fundamentally altering the city's political landscape.