Hong Kong activists sentenced to up to seven years in prison for Tiananmen vigils
Quick Look
- Three Hong Kong activists who organized annual vigils commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown were sentenced to prison terms of up to seven years and three months under the national security law.
- Lee Cheuk-yan received seven years, Chow Hang-tung seven years and three months, and Albert Ho five years after pleading guilty.
- The gatherings were banned in 2020 and never resumed.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Hong Kong had been one of the few places in Chinese territory where people could openly commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, a topic banned in mainland China. Authorities banned the vigils in 2020 citing Covid-19, but they never resumed after the national security law took effect that same year.
Three Hong Kong activists who organised annual vigils commemorating Beijing's 1989 crackdown on Tiananmen Square protests have been handed prison sentences of up to seven years.
Two of the defendants - Lee Cheuk-yan, 69, and Chow Hang-tung, 41 - were convicted last month of inciting others to subvert state power, under the city's controversial national security law.
A third defendant, Albert Ho, 74, had pleaded guilty in January.
For years, Hong Kong was one of the only places in Chinese territory where people could hold gatherings to mark the Tiananmen Square crackdown - a topic that is highly sensitive and heavily censored in mainland China.
These gatherings were banned by Hong Kong's authorities in 2020, citing Covid-19 policies, but never resumed. That same year, the national security law, which makes illegal a wider range of dissenting acts, officially came into force.
Authorities say the law is necessary to maintain stability, but critics argue it has eroded Hong Kong's autonomy and created a climate of fear.
Lee, Chow and Ho were charged in 2021. They faced up to 10 years in prison after their conviction.
On Friday, the court sentenced Lee to seven years in prison, while Chow was handed seven years and three months. Ho, who pleaded guilty, was sentenced to five years in prison.
According to a court summary in August, Lee and Chow had "incited other persons to organise, plan, commit or participate in acts by unlawful means with a view to subverting the state power", according to a summary on Friday.
Chow told the court in May the law itself was on trial.
Speaking to the BBC before her arrest in 2022, Chow said she was "prepared to be arrested" and "willing to pay the price for fighting for democracy".
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Further legal actions against pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong are likely.
Likely · Within months
Open Questions
- Will further arrests of activists occur?
- How will international governments respond to the sentences?
- Are there plans to appeal the court decisions?
