{
  "id": 2543524,
  "title": "Hong Kong hits back at Western ‘slander’ over verdict on Tiananmen vigil leaders",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/22/hong-kong-hits-back-at-western-slander-over-verdict-on-tiananmen-2543524",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-22T08:55:10.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "South China Morning Post",
    "slug": "south-china-morning-post",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3364918/hong-kong-hits-back-western-slander-over-verdict-tiananmen-vigil-leaders"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Hong Kong's government has strongly rejected accusations of \"baseless slander and smearing\" by Western nations regarding the conviction of the disbanded Tiananmen Square vigil alliance and its leaders for inciting subversion. The authorities emphasized that the court's verdict was \"well-reasoned and sound\". The Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China was found guilty by three High Court judges, who determined that attempting to overthrow or undermine the Communist Party of China's leadership constituted a subversion offense, as the country's constitution does not allow Western-style democracy. The fourth defendant, Albert Ho Chun-yan, had already pleaded guilty. The government spokesman condemned the \"baseless slander and smearing\" against Hong Kong from \"various Western countries, anti-China media, organizations, and politicians\". The spokesman defended the court's decision, stating that the defendants were not targeted due to their political views but rather for their hostility towards the Communist Party and central government. The spokesman also noted that the defendants continued their resistance efforts despite the 2020 imposition of the national security law. The government assured that the defendants' rights to a fair trial were protected under the Basic Law and Hong Kong Bill of Rights, and that the judiciary exercised its power independently. The verdict was deemed forceful, compelling, and well-reasoned by authorities. The conviction carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison under the national security law.",
  "summary": "Hong Kong authorities have hit out at what they called “baseless slander and smearing” by Western countries over the conviction of the now-disbanded alliance behind the annual Tiananmen Square vigil and its leaders for inciting subversion, stressing the court’s verdict is “well-reasoned and sound”. The government issued a strongly worded statement on Saturday after the closely-watched verdict on…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Hong Kong Free Press",
        "title": "Conviction of Hong Kong Tiananmen vigil activists draws approval from gov’t, concern from overseas human rights groups",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/22/conviction-of-hong-kong-tiananmen-vigil-activists-draws-approval-from",
        "published": "2026-08-22T00:50:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "South China Morning Post - Hong Kong",
        "title": "Beyblade battles drive up sales at Hong Kong malls, but how long will the trend last?",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/22/beyblade-battles-drive-up-sales-at-hong-kong-malls-but-how-long-will",
        "published": "2026-08-22T06:52:56.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}