A Hong Kong court handed down prison sentences Friday to three prominent democracy activists convicted of inciting subversion. Lee Cheuk-yan received a 7-year term, Chow Hang-tung was sentenced to 7 years and 3 months, and Albert Ho received 5 years and 2 months. All three had been leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, which organized annual candlelight vigils commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown for three decades.
The defendants were charged under Beijing’s national security law, which was imposed on Hong Kong following the 2019 protest movement. Prosecutors argued that the alliance’s stated goal of “ending one-party dictatorship” constituted an intent to undermine the ruling Communist Party’s leadership. The court found the defendants guilty of a serious offense, noting the turbulent social atmosphere created additional risk to national security, despite acknowledging the group never proposed violent means or a specific timeline for their demands. Lee and Chow have indicated they intend to appeal their convictions.
The sentencing represents another high-profile prosecution under the security law, following similar convictions of other pro-democracy figures. The Hong Kong Alliance’s Tiananmen vigils had drawn tens of thousands of participants annually to Victoria Park until authorities banned the gatherings in 2020. The annual commemoration had been the only large-scale public remembrance of the 1989 crackdown within Chinese territory.
Family members and supporters rejected the verdicts, with Lee’s wife stating there is no freedom of speech in Hong Kong and predicting the sentences would anger the millions who had attended or supported the vigils over the years. Legal experts noted the case demonstrates that peaceful calls for democratic change are now effectively criminalized in Hong Kong under the security framework.
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