Hong Kong convicts two Tiananmen vigil activists of inciting subversion
Summary
A Hong Kong court convicted two pro-democracy activists, Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung, of inciting subversion for organizing vigils to remember the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown. The case highlights concerns about freedom of expression under Hong Kong's national security law.Key Facts
- Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung led the Hong Kong Alliance, which organized annual candlelight vigils for Tiananmen massacre victims.
- Both were found guilty of inciting subversion, a charge linked to violating Hong Kong’s national security law.
- Chow Hang-tung is a Cambridge-educated lawyer who has been jailed since 2021 and conducted hunger strikes every June to mark the Tiananmen anniversary.
- Lee Cheuk-yan has been involved in labor and human rights activism since the 1970s and witnessed the Tiananmen crackdown in 1989.
- The Hong Kong Alliance was dissolved after Beijing imposed the national security law in 2020 following large protests.
- Albert Ho, another leader of the Alliance, pleaded guilty to related charges earlier in 2026.
- The convictions are seen as a sign of increasing limits on free speech and political activism in Hong Kong.
- The activists stated their goal was democratic reform and ending one-party rule but not necessarily the complete elimination of the Communist Party.
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