Three pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong, Lee Cheuk-yan, Chow Hang-tung, and Albert Ho, have been sentenced to prison terms ranging from five to seven years and three months for inciting subversion under the Beijing-imposed national security law. The sentences stem from their roles in organizing annual vigils commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, which for three decades drew tens of thousands of participants. The Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, which organized the vigils, was also fined HK$1.5 million.
Lee Cheuk-yan received a seven-year sentence, while Chow Hang-tung was sentenced to seven years and three months. Albert Ho, who pleaded guilty, received five years and two months. The court ruled that the activists’ call to “end one-party dictatorship” constituted unlawful incitement to overthrow the Chinese Communist Party. Lee and Chow had pleaded not guilty, arguing they sought to allow the Chinese public to choose their leaders through free and fair elections. Chow stated in court that pursuing democracy was not a crime, and that she had “no regrets” about her activism.
The trial revealed Lee’s involvement in bringing donations to Beijing during the 1989 protests and witnessing the crackdown firsthand. Ho, a former lawmaker, previously urged Japan to apologize for wartime actions and supported China’s claim over disputed islands. The United States and other Western governments have condemned the sentences as a sign of Hong Kong’s deteriorating freedom of expression. The Tiananmen vigils were the only large-scale public commemoration of the crackdown on Chinese soil, as discussion of the event is heavily censored in mainland China.
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