Hong Kong court sentences three activists to 5-7 years for organizing Tiananmen vigils, September 11

A Hong Kong court sentenced three activists to prison for organizing annual candlelight vigils commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, convicted under the city's national security law of inciting subversion. The ruling silences the only large-scale public commemoration of the massacre held on Chinese territory in recent decades.

Lee Cheuk-yan, 69, a former lawmaker and longtime chair of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, was sentenced to seven years in prison. Chow Hang-tung, 41, a former vice-chair, received seven years and three months. Albert Ho, 74, another former chair and a leading figure in the opposition Democratic Party, was sentenced to five years and two months after pleading guilty. The verdict was issued on August 21, 2026, after a trial that began in January.

Lee and Chow had pleaded not guilty to charges of inciting subversion under Hong Kong's national security law. They faced a maximum of 10 years in prison. Both have been held continuously in custody since being charged five years ago, according to NBC News reporting.

The court, composed of three government-appointed judges, ruled that the alliance's longtime call to "end one-party dictatorship" in China constituted unlawful incitement to overthrow the country's ruling Communist Party. The judges stated that the defendants were not being tried over their political views. The alliance was also fined 1.5 million Hong Kong dollars, approximately $190,000 to $191,000 depending on exchange rates.

The Hong Kong Alliance, founded in May 1989 to support pro-democracy students in mainland China, held Tiananmen vigils for three decades. The gatherings drew tens of thousands of participants annually, with organizers reporting some attracting more than 100,000 people, though police offered lower estimates. The vigils were legal and tolerated in Hong Kong and stood as a symbol of the city's civil liberties compared with mainland China, according to Al Jazeera. The commemorations honored those killed in the 1989 crackdown, with estimates of the death toll ranging from a few hundred to many thousands, per BBC reporting.

The alliance called on authorities over three decades to accept responsibility for the crackdown, free dissidents, and introduce democratic reform. Lee told the court that the alliance was not calling for the elimination of the Communist Party, but rather seeking to allow the Chinese public to decide their government through free and fair elections. Chow, a barrister who represented herself at trial, said her national security conviction "boils down to saying that pursuing democracy is a crime" and stated she had "nothing to repent for." She added she would "rather be a criminal than a person who betrays their conscience."

The ruling marks an escalation in enforcement of Hong Kong's 2020 national security law, imposed by Beijing after months of anti-government protests in 2019. Hong Kong and central Chinese authorities say the law was necessary to restore stability. They contend the vigil organizers continued criminal acts after the law took effect and that freedom of speech should not serve as a "pretext" for unlawful activities. John Lee, Hong Kong's top leader, said after the verdict that the alliance "had long been deliberately planting seeds of hatred" against the Communist government and was "inciting people to subvert state power." The vigil was first banned in 2020 before the national security law took effect, with authorities citing Covid-19 restrictions.

The law has since reshaped life in Hong Kong. Legal concerns have prompted the shutdown of dozens of civil society groups, including the alliance, which voted to disband in 2021, per NBC reporting. The national security law has been used to jail other pro-democracy activists such as media tycoon Jimmy Lai, according to Al Jazeera. In 2024, pro-Beijing leadership passed Article 23, toughened national security legislation. Each year around the June 4 anniversary, heavy police presence occupies the former vigil site, and some people have been detained after appearing with flowers or candles. Local universities have removed Tiananmen sculptures and artwork that stood on their campuses for years, and officials have forcibly closed the June 4th Museum. In more recent years, the former vigil site has been occupied around June 4 by a carnival organized by pro-Beijing groups.

The United States, along with many Western governments and United Nations human rights officials, condemned the August 21 verdict, per NBC News reporting. Assistant Secretary of State Riley Barnes said the Tiananmen vigils "sought only to remember the past and honor the lives lost in that assault." Taiwan's government also condemned the verdicts, with the Mainland Affairs Council stating that authorities have "fabricated charges and conducted political trials in the name of national security to shield an authoritarian regime." Amnesty International's Deputy Regional Director Sarah Brooks said the sentencing was "a triple tragedy: for the activists being unjustly punished; the survivors and victims of the Tiananmen crackdown itself; and the generations of Hongkongers denied the space to discuss one of the most consequential events in modern Chinese history." Human Rights Watch stated the "harsh sentences against peaceful Tiananmen vigil organisers expose the cruelty and insecurity of a government afraid of memory and the people."

Lee's wife, Elizabeth Tang, said she was unable to accept another three years of her husband's incarceration and indicated he would appeal the sentencing. Chow's mother, Medina Chow, thanked supporters and said "For today's verdict, you do not need to be overly saddened. Do not lose heart. And above all, do not feel guilty."