Woman arrested for alleged sedition outside court ahead of Tiananmen vigil group’s national security case verdict

Hong Kong police apprehended a 45-year-old woman outside the West Kowloon Law Courts Building on Friday, August 21, 2026, in connection with alleged sedition. The arrest took place hours before the verdict for two Tiananmen vigil activists, Chow Hang-tang and Lee Cheuk-yan, who were found guilty under the national security law. The woman was detained for investigation after being accused of acting with seditious intent, causing disorder in public places, and obstructing police.

She was among those waiting for seats in the public gallery for the verdict. The woman was taken into a police vehicle around 5am, wearing a black t-shirt with Japanese characters, according to a witness. Both Chow Hang-tang and Lee Cheuk-yan, former leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, were accused of inciting subversion through calls for "ending one-party rule," which prosecutors deemed as calling for the overthrow of the Chinese Communist Party. The organisation itself, which disbanded in September 2021, was also on trial for the same charges.