{
  "id": 6704003,
  "title": "Hong Kong sentences Tiananmen activists to between 5 and 7 years in jail",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/hong-kong-sentences-tiananmen-activists-to-between-5-and-7-years-in-6704003",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-11T03:50:12.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today-freemalays",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/world/2026/09/11/hong-kong-sentences-tiananmen-activists-to-between-5-and-7-years-in-jail"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A Hong Kong court has sentenced three activists involved in a pro-democracy vigil for the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown to between five and seven years in prison. Lee Cheuk-yan, Albert Ho, and Chow Hang-tung were convicted of national security crimes under a law imposed by Beijing. The convictions have faced widespread condemnation from the UN, rights groups, and foreign governments. Lee and Chow, who pleaded not guilty, received seven years and seven years and three months respectively, while Chow, a former lawmaker who pleaded guilty, received five years and two months. The three were prominent leaders of the now-defunct Hong Kong Alliance, which organized annual vigils in Victoria Park and operated a museum dedicated to the crackdown. Hong Kong and Macau were the only places in China where public vigils for the Tiananmen victims were allowed, but this has been effectively banned since the implementation of the Beijing-imposed security law. The activists were smiling and waving to supporters when they arrived at court. The statue of the \"Pillar of Shame,\" a symbol of the protests, was dismantled and removed from its plinth at the University of Hong Kong in late 2021, with the statue's fate still pending.",
  "summary": "The three activists have been behind bars since being charged in 2021, with their convictions condemned by the UN, rights groups and foreign governments.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 10,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "South China Morning Post - Hong Kong",
        "title": "Hong Kong home prices headed for 15% gain this year, Midland forecast says",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/10/hong-kong-home-prices-headed-for-15-gain-this-year-midland-forecast",
        "published": "2026-09-10T23:00:09.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "France 24",
        "title": "Hong Kong court sentences Tiananmen vigil activists to between 5 and 7 years in jail",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/hong-kong-court-sentences-tiananmen-vigil-activists-to-between-5-and",
        "published": "2026-09-11T01:49:17.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "BBC News",
        "title": "Hong Kong's Tiananmen activists sentenced to up to seven years in prison",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/hong-kongs-tiananmen-activists-sentenced-to-up-to-seven-years-in",
        "published": "2026-09-11T02:49:29.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Nikkei Asia",
        "title": "Hong Kong Tiananmen vigil organizers sentenced to up to 7 years, 3 months",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/hong-kong-tiananmen-vigil-organizers-sentenced-to-up-to-7-years-3",
        "published": "2026-09-11T03:41:25.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Hong Kong sentences Tiananmen activists to between 5 and 7 years in jail",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/hong-kong-sentences-tiananmen-activists-to-between-5-and-7-years-in",
        "published": "2026-09-11T03:50:12.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "NPR",
        "title": "Hong Kong court sentences 3 Tiananmen vigil organizers to prison",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/hong-kong-court-sentences-3-tiananmen-vigil-organizers-to-prison",
        "published": "2026-09-11T06:42:04.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "DW English (Top Stories)",
        "title": "Hong Kong Tiananmen activists sentenced up to 7 years",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/hong-kong-tiananmen-activists-sentenced-up-to-7-years",
        "published": "2026-09-11T08:40:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "title": "Hong Kong sentences Tiananmen activists to between 5 and 7 years in jail",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/hong-kong-sentences-tiananmen-activists-to-between-5-and-7-years-in-6785191",
        "published": "2026-09-11T17:18:50.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
        "title": "Hong Kong’s Tiananmen activists sentenced to up to seven years in prison",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/hong-kongs-tiananmen-activists-sentenced-to-up-to-seven-years-in-6793792",
        "published": "2026-09-11T19:13:07.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}