Former Hong Kong Alliance leaders appear for mitigation hearing after national security convictions

Former leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China appeared before the West Kowloon Law Courts Building on Friday for a mitigation hearing. Chow Hang-tung, Lee Cheuk-yan, and Albert Ho were convicted of inciting subversion under a Beijing-imposed national security law. The judges stated that sentencing will occur within two weeks.

Representing herself, Chow Hang-tung argued that the court's decision implies that pursuing democracy is a crime. She stated that anyone believing in ending one-party rule in mainland China has nowhere left to stand. High Court judge Alex Lee interrupted her during her statement, asking if she intended to mitigate and whether she would continue to persist in her views.

Barrister Erik Shum, representing Lee and Ho, requested that the court place the two activists in a lower sentencing band, which would result in less than five years in prison. Shum argued that the goal of ending one-party rule was an empty slogan and that the group had no concrete plan, roadmap, or timeline to oust the government. He further noted that the incitement did not lead to substantial destruction.

Reports of the hearing differ in their framing of the proceedings. A center-left source focused on Chow's assertions that the law criminalizes the pursuit of democracy and noted that the ruling has been condemned by the United Nations and rights groups. A center-right source focused on the defense's argument that the group's goals were merely slogans rather than actual plans to overthrow the government.