Hong Kong Activists and Vigil Group Convicted of Inciting Subversion

Two pro democracy figures, Chow Hang tung and Lee Cheuk yan, and the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China were convicted on Friday of inciting subversion. The defendants face maximum prison terms of 10 years. Government appointed judges ruled that the group and its leaders incited others to overthrow the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party through unlawful means by calling for an end to one party rule. While the judges acknowledged that the Alliance never advocated violence or suggested specific means of ending the dictatorship, they stated that the defendants spread these goals after the implementation of a Beijing imposed national security law. Former lawmaker Albert Ho, another leader of the group, previously pleaded guilty.

The convictions have sparked a diplomatic divide. The United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Australia characterized the ruling as an example of eroding freedoms in Hong Kong. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres stated that residents should be allowed to speak without fear of arrest. In response, the Hong Kong government and the Legislative Council condemned these reactions as baseless slanders and smearing by external forces. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian further criticized certain countries and organizations for using the judicial case to denigrate Hong Kong's rule of law.

The Hong Kong Alliance previously organized a massive annual candlelight vigil to mourn the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. Authorities banned the vigil in 2020, citing pandemic risks, shortly before the national security law was imposed. Tang Ngok kwan, a former core member of the alliance, told the Associated Press that he continues to discreetly remember the event at sites where public commemorations once took place, despite the legal risks and the conviction of his colleagues.