Tiananmen Square vigil organizers convicted of 'inciting subversion' in Hong Kong
Two former organizers of Hong Kong's decades-old vigil in remembrance of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown were convicted Friday in a national security case brought under a China-imposed law that has effectively crushed the city's previously thriving pro-democracy movement.
Two former leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung, have been convicted of inciting subversion under Hong Kong's national security law. According to The Guardian, they were found guilty of "inciting other persons to organise, plan, commit or participate in acts by unlawful means with a view to subverting the state power".
The Hong Kong Alliance organised annual vigils in Victoria Park to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, which was a significant event in Hong Kong as it was one of the few places where such public vigils were permitted. The group has since disbanded. Lee and Chow face a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail, with sentencing expected at a later date. A third defendant, former lawmaker Albert Ho, pleaded guilty in January and is awaiting sentencing.
The trial, which began in January and lasted 24 days, was widely criticised as an example of the erosion of freedom of expression in Hong Kong. The defendants were charged under a 2020 national security law imposed by China, which has effectively crushed the city's previously thriving pro-democracy movement, as reported by CBC News.
Brief written by urgent.news from CBC News, The Guardian, The Economic Times, South China Morning Post, South China Morning Post - Hong Kong — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
