What to know about the trial of former Tiananmen vigil organizers before a verdict
HONG KONG (AP) — A verdict is expected Friday in the case of two organizers of an annual Hong Kong vigil to remember the 1989 Tiananmen…
Two former leaders of a Hong Kong pro-democracy group are on trial in China under a national security law. Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung face up to 10 years in prison if found guilty of inciting subversion. The trial began in January, and both activists have pleaded not guilty. The vigil they organized annually in Hong Kong, commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, was banned in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The incident where Chinese military forces opened fire on student-led protests in Beijing's Tiananmen Square in 1989 remains a taboo topic in mainland China, where the government strictly controls information. The vigil, which attracted tens of thousands each year, was one of the few public expressions of remembrance outside of China.
The trial and the disappearance of the vigil are seen by observers as evidence of Beijing's diminishing commitment to the promised freedoms following the colony's return to Chinese rule in 1997.
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