Three prominent Hong Kong activists were sentenced to prison terms ranging from approximately five to seven years in connection with their organization of annual candlelight vigils commemorating China’s 1989 Tiananmen Square military crackdown. Lee Cheuk-yan received a seven-year sentence, Chow Hang-tung was given seven years and three months, and Albert Ho was sentenced to five years and two months. All three were convicted of inciting subversion under a national security law imposed by Beijing. Lee and Chow pleaded not guilty to the charges, while Ho entered a guilty plea, which contributed to his lighter sentence. The defendants had been detained in custody for an extended period since their arrest in September 2021.
The three men served as leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, an organization that had organized the annual Tiananmen vigil for three decades. The event had been the only large-scale public commemoration of the crackdown in Chinese territory and drew tens of thousands of participants to Victoria Park in Hong Kong each year until authorities banned it in 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic. The prosecution centered on the organization’s stated objective to “end one-party dictatorship,” which the court determined implied an intent to undermine the ruling Communist Party’s leadership. However, the judges acknowledged that the group had never proposed specific means or a timeline for achieving this goal and that the case involved no violence or threats.
The sentencing represents a significant moment in Hong Kong’s changing political landscape following the 2019 protest movement. The verdict has been widely interpreted as reflective of the city’s narrowing civil liberties and increased restrictions on dissent. The case comes amid broader enforcement of the national security law, including the conviction of media tycoon Jimmy Lai in February on charges carrying a 20-year prison sentence. Since the law’s implementation, numerous civil society organizations have dissolved, and many activist leaders have faced prosecution.
Family members and supporters of the defendants expressed their intention to appeal the verdicts. Legal experts noted that the convictions underscore how even peaceful advocacy for democratic reform has become criminalized under the security law framework. Beijing maintains that the legislation is necessary for maintaining stability, while critics contend that it represents a fundamental erosion of the freedoms that historically distinguished Hong Kong from mainland China.
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