Hong Kong Court Convicts Tiananmen Vigil Organizers on Subversion Charges

A Hong Kong court on Friday convicted two prominent pro-democracy figures of national security charges connected to their leadership of annual vigils commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown in Beijing. Lee Cheuk-yan, aged 69, and Chow Hang-tung, aged 41, were found guilty of incitement to subversion following a trial at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts. Both defendants had pleaded not guilty when formally charged in 2021 and have remained incarcerated throughout the legal proceedings.

Lee and Chow previously led the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, the primary group that organized the annual candlelit memorials. The court did not immediately specify a date for sentencing, though the offense carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison under the national security legal framework. During the prosecution’s closing arguments, government lawyers stated that the pair had used human rights campaigns as a pretext to endanger national security.

Chow, a human rights barrister who chose to conduct her own defense, asserted during court proceedings in May that “the law itself was on trial.” In a personal blog published in the days prior to the verdict, Chow provided details regarding her treatment by correctional services personnel. She described being transported in full body restraints, shackled at the wrists, waist, and ankles, and stated that specialized handcuffs forced her into painful physical contortions. Chow has been one of the few high-profile political detainees in Hong Kong to continue issuing public commentary from prison.

The court’s decision drew immediate statements of disapproval from foreign governments and international bodies. France and Germany issued a joint statement expressing regret over the judicial decision and called for the prompt release of the convicted activists. Former United States House Speaker Nancy Pelosi publicly criticized the outcome, describing the prosecution of Lee, Chow, and fellow organizer Albert Ho as political persecution aimed at eliminating civic freedoms in the territory.

Non-governmental organizations also condemned the decision. Elaine Pearson, the Asia director for Human Rights Watch, urged international governments to hold Chinese authorities accountable for restricting Hong Kong’s freedoms. Mark Clifford, president of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation, stated that the judicial outcome was anticipated, describing the city’s legal system as compromised and asserting that the activists were targeted for speaking out against the ruling Chinese Communist Party.

Background

For three decades, the annual candlelight vigil organized by the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China was the only large-scale public memorial held on Chinese territory to commemorate the June 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. In 1989, Chinese military forces deployed tanks and armed troops to crush pro-democracy demonstrations in Beijing’s central square, resulting in the deaths of hundreds, and possibly thousands, of protesters. Mention of the event remains heavily censored in mainland China.

Hong Kong authorities banned the annual vigil in 2020, citing restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Weeks later, the Chinese government enacted a broad national security law for Hong Kong to suppress large-scale anti-government demonstrations that had taken place across the city in 2019. The conviction of the Alliance leaders follows a series of national security prosecutions against prominent opposition figures in the city, including media publisher Jimmy Lai, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison earlier in 2026.