{
  "id": 2284750,
  "title": "Tiananmen Square vigil organisers found guilty in Hong Kong of ‘inciting subversion’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/21/tiananmen-square-vigil-organisers-found-guilty-in-hong-kong-of",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-21T02:45:42.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Guardian",
    "slug": "the-guardian",
    "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/21/tiananmen-square-vigil-hong-kong-alliance-activists-guilty-verdict-lee-cheuk-yan-chow-hang-tung"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Two Hong Kong activists, Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung, have been found guilty of \"incitement to subversion\" for organising annual vigils marking China's 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, according to a press summary given to reporters. The two leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance were convicted under a 2020 national security law, facing a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail. The trial, which lasted 24 days, began in January and sentencing is expected at a later date. Chow, representing herself, argued that the law itself was under scrutiny. The Hong Kong Alliance, which organised the vigils in Victoria Park, formerly the only place in mainland China where public commemorations of the 1989 events were permitted, has been effectively banned since Beijing introduced the national security law in 2020.",
  "summary": "Two Hong Kong activists, Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung, have been found guilty of inciting subversion under the national security law. They organised annual vigils marking China's deadly Tiananmen crackdown in 1989. According to a press summary, they \"incited other persons to organise, plan, commit or participate in acts by unlawful means with a view to subverting the state power\".\n\nThe Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, a now-disbanded group, and its former leaders, were convicted at West Kowloon Court. The group's objective was to promote democracy and human rights, and to advocate an end to \"one-party dictatorship\" in mainland China, as reported by the South China Morning Post.\n\nThe defendants face a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail, with sentencing expected on a later date. Lee and Chow have been remanded in custody for nearly five years. A third defendant, Albert Ho Chun-yan, has also been detained for more than four years and is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to the offence in January, as reported by the South China Morning Post - Hong Kong.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}