Tiananmen vigil organiser Chow Hang-tung files appeal against subversion sentence

Chow Hang-tung, a Hong Kong barrister and prominent activist, has lodged an appeal against her subversion conviction under the Beijing-imposed national security law. The 41-year-old leader of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China (HKA) was sentenced to seven years and three months in prison last month, despite her claim of innocence. Chow's appeal was filed on Monday, with a hearing yet to be set.

Alongside Chow, former lawmaker Lee Cheuk-yan, 69, received the same seven-year sentence, while former lawmaker Albert Ho, 74, pleaded guilty and was given a five-year and two-month prison term. The trio were once the leaders of the disbanded HKA, which held annual vigils to mourn China's 1989 Tiananmen crackdown. The group was convicted and fined HK$1.5 million for allegedly inciting subversion through their calls for the end of one-party rule in China.

The Tiananmen crackdown took place on June 4, 1989, following months of student-led protests in China. Estimates suggest hundreds, if not thousands, lost their lives during the People's Liberation Army's crackdown on protesters in Beijing. The HKA's leaders were found guilty of inciting subversion under the national security law, with the court citing their hostility towards the Chinese Communist Party and the Central Government.

Their conviction has drawn condemnation from Western governments, rights groups, and the United Nations. However, the ruling was welcomed by local authorities.