Hong Kong's High Court on Friday convicted two leading pro-democracy activists, Lee Cheuk-yan, 69, and Chow Hang-tung, 41, of inciting subversion under the city's National Security Law. The conviction stems from their involvement in organizing annual vigils commemorating Beijing's 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown on pro-democracy protesters. Both activists, former chair and vice-chair respectively of the now-disbanded Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, face a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail.
The case primarily hinged on the activists' repeated use of the phrase "end one-party dictatorship," which the three government-approved national security judges deemed subversive. Lee and Chow were accused of inciting others to "organise, plan, commit or participate in acts by unlawful means with a view to subverting the state power." Hong Kong had historically been the only place on Chinese territory where such large-scale public commemorations for the Tiananmen Square events were permitted, but these gatherings were banned starting in 2020, citing COVID-19 policies, and have not resumed.
Critics argue that the national security law, imposed by Beijing in 2020, has significantly eroded Hong Kong's autonomy and freedoms, creating a climate of fear. Rights groups like Amnesty International have condemned the convictions, with Sarah Brooks, its deputy regional director, stating that Chow and Lee are "prisoners of conscience who should never have been prosecuted in the first place." Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, highlighted that the convictions demonstrate "how public displays of mourning have become a crime in Hong Kong." Foreign diplomats monitored the proceedings, underscoring the international attention on the case.
