Two of Hong Kong's most prominent pro-democracy activists were convicted Friday of inciting subversion under the city's national security law, in one of the highest-profile prosecutions since Beijing imposed the legislation six years ago.
Lee Cheuk-yan, 69, and Chow Hang-tung, 41 — both former leaders of the now-disbanded Hong Kong Alliance — were found guilty of having "incited other persons to organise, plan, commit or participate in acts by unlawful means with a view to subverting the state power." [1] They face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, with sentencing scheduled for a later date. [1] A third defendant, former lawmaker Albert Ho, 74, had already pleaded guilty in January. [3]
Decades of Vigils, Then a Crackdown
The Hong Kong Alliance was founded in May 1989, weeks before the Chinese Communist Party deployed troops and tanks to crush pro-democracy protests centred on Beijing's Tiananmen Square. [1] Estimates of the death toll from that crackdown range from a few hundred to many thousands. [1] For the next three decades, the Alliance organised annual candlelight vigils in Hong Kong — one of the only places on Chinese soil where such public commemoration was permitted — and called on authorities to acknowledge responsibility for the violence, release political prisoners, and pursue democratic reform. [1][3]
Those gatherings were banned in 2020, initially under the pretext of Covid-19 restrictions, and have never resumed. [1] That same year, Beijing imposed the national security law on Hong Kong following a year of large and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests that had shaken the city in 2019. [3] The Alliance's leaders were charged in 2021 and have remained behind bars since. [3]
What the Court Found
The trial ran over 24 days beginning in January. [3] The case turned significantly on the Alliance's longstanding slogan demanding an "end to one-party rule." The court found that the defendants "intended to cause others to lose confidence in the Chinese Communist Party by stirring up hostility and causing division." [3] The defence countered that the Alliance was exercising constitutionally protected freedom of speech. [3]
Chow, a Cambridge-educated barrister who represented herself, told the court in May that the law itself was the entity on trial. [1] In the courtroom Friday, Lee appeared solemn as the verdict was read; he made a heart-shaped gesture with his hands and waved to supporters before being led away by correctional officers. [3]
International Condemnation
Rights group Amnesty International was swift in its response. The organisation said the case "relies on vague, overly broad and arbitrary definitions of 'subversion.'" [1] Sarah Brooks, Amnesty's Deputy Regional Director, said the two had "not committed any recognisable crime," adding: "Chow Hang-tung and Lee Cheuk-yan are prisoners of conscience who should never have been prosecuted in the first place. They must be released immediately and unconditionally." [1]
From prison ahead of the verdict, Chow wrote a letter — seen by the Guardian — addressed to UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham. "They are trying to re-write Hong Kong history … they certainly want to erase some memories, or memories of some chapters in our history," she wrote, urging that "Britain has a non-delegable duty to adopt a more robust stance in the face of the growing threat from a totalitarian and aggressive China." [3]
Chow had long anticipated the personal cost of her activism. In a 2021 BBC interview, weeks before her arrest on 4 June 2022, she said: "I am prepared to be arrested. That is how Hong Kong is now. I am willing to pay the price for fighting for democracy." [1]
A City Transformed
The scene outside the West Kowloon magistrates' court on Friday underscored the charged atmosphere surrounding the case. Dozens of police officers gathered outside and ushered reporters away from filming audience members who had queued for days — some overnight — to secure a seat in the public gallery. [3]
Supporters who spoke to the Guardian reflected a sense of finality about Hong Kong's political trajectory. "To me, this case illustrates the absolute power of Beijing in reshaping Hong Kong's civil society through the national security law," one said. "This outcome highlights the central government's total control regarding national security enforcement in the region," said another. [3]
Hong Kong was promised certain political freedoms not extended to the mainland when it was handed back to China in 1997. Critics argue the national security law has effectively dismantled that arrangement, with most of the city's opposition leaders either detained or forced into exile. [3] In mainland China, even oblique references to the 1989 crackdown remain banned. [1]
This is not the first time Chow has faced legal jeopardy over the vigils. She was arrested in June 2021 for inciting the public to attend that year's commemoration and was convicted — only for Hong Kong's top court to overturn that conviction in 2022, after a judge ruled police had not properly justified the ban on the gathering. [1] Friday's verdict, carrying far graver charges, is unlikely to be resolved so cleanly.
What to Watch Next
Sentencing will be the immediate focus, with both Lee and Chow facing up to a decade in prison. [1] Whether the British government responds to Chow's direct appeal to Prime Minister Burnham — and how other Western governments react — will test the diplomatic temperature around Hong Kong's ongoing political transformation. [3] The verdict also raises questions about whether any further prosecutions tied to the now-defunct Alliance or its affiliated activities remain in the pipeline, as authorities continue to reshape the boundaries of permissible civil society in the city.