Hong Kong Court Imposes Severe Prison Sentences on Tiananmen Vigil Activists

A Hong Kong court has sentenced three activists to prison terms ranging from five to seven years for their involvement in organizing a vigil to commemorate the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre.

Lee Cheuk-yan, 69, and Chow Hang-tung, 41, received seven-year sentences on Friday for inciting subversion. Meanwhile, Albert Ho, 74, was handed a sentence of five years and two months after pleading guilty in January. These convictions under the national security law—imposed on Hong Kong by Beijing following major pro-democracy protests in 2020—have drawn widespread condemnation from the United Nations, human rights organizations, and foreign governments due to their impact on civil liberties.

Judges stated that the defendants, who belonged to the group responsible for annual commemorations of Beijing’s 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy protesters, violated the Chinese constitution by advocating for an “end to one-party dictatorship.” The verdict noted that while the case lacked violence and the defendants did not establish a specific timeline for their objective, the nature of the offense remained serious. Additionally, the court ordered a fine of 1.5 million Hong Kong dollars ($191,000) against the now-disbanded Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China.

Lee served as the former chair of the Hong Kong Alliance, Chow was a former vice-chair, and Ho was another former chair of the vigil group as well as a prominent member of the opposition Democratic Party. Lee and Chow have remained in custody since pleading not guilty in 2021, and the newly announced sentences are expected to incorporate time already served.

Public commemorations of the 1989 civil unrest were previously legal and tolerated in Hong Kong, serving as an indicator of the city's distinct freedoms compared to mainland China. However, these events were banned in 2020 following the implementation of the National Security Law after mass protests in 2019, which marked the final year the vigil took place.

Elizabeth Tang, wife of Lee, informed the Reuters news agency that her husband will “definitely appeal” his sentence. Chow, acting as a barrister to represent herself, declared during a hearing last month that she had “nothing to repent for.”

The government of Taiwan strongly criticized the verdicts, asserting that the pursuit of democracy and human rights does not constitute a crime. In an official statement, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council accused authorities of fabricating charges and executing political trials under the guise of national security to protect an authoritarian regime.