What to know about the two former Tiananmen vigil organizers on trial in Hong Kong

Hong Kong activists Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung, who organized the city's annual vigils commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, were found guilty of inciting subversion under Hong Kong's national security law in 2021. The former chair of the disbanded Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, Lee has testified about his role in delivering donations from Hong Kongers to Beijing in 1989.

He later faced detention when he was asked to leave the plane at the airport. Charged with inciting subversion, Lee denies holding any enmity towards China's ruling Communist Party, stating his desire for reform stems from his love for the people. Chow, a Cambridge graduate and former vice-chair of the alliance, was convicted alongside two other core members in 2023 for their refusal to cooperate and was sentenced to 4.5 months in prison.

She has since become a first-time arrestee under Hong Kong's newly implemented national security law in 2024, accused of publishing seditious posts on Facebook. Despite limited resources in prison, Chow has represented herself in her trial. The trial has drawn international attention, with critics highlighting the erosion of freedoms in Hong Kong under Beijing's imposed national security law.