Hong Kong court sentences three Tiananmen vigil activists to prison under national security law

A Hong Kong court sentenced three Tiananmen vigil activists to prison for five to seven years on Friday for national security crimes, following a trial that has drawn international condemnation.

Lee Cheuk-yan, 69, Chow Hang-tung, 41, and Albert Ho, 74, have been behind bars since their initial charges in 2021. Their convictions, handed down under a sweeping national security law imposed by Beijing on Hong Kong, have drawn condemnation from the United Nations, human rights organisations, and foreign governments.

A court ruled in August that the activists breached the Chinese constitution by calling for an "end to one-party dictatorship".

Lee and Chow, both of whom pleaded not guilty, were sentenced to seven years and seven years and three months in prison, respectively. Ho, a former lawmaker who entered a guilty plea in January, received a sentence of five years and two months.

Chow, a barrister who represented herself, told a hearing last month that she rejected the convictions, stating that she had "nothing to repent for".

All three activists arrived at court smiling and waving to supporters before taking their places in the dock.

Hong Kong and Macau were once the only places on Chinese soil to permit public vigils commemorating those killed on 4 June 1989, when Beijing deployed troops and tanks to crush demonstrations demanding political reform around Tiananmen Square.

However, public commemorations have been effectively outlawed in Hong Kong since the National Security Law came into effect. The trio previously served as leaders of the now-disbanded Hong Kong Alliance, the organisation responsible for staging the annual candlelight vigils in Victoria Park.

Condemnation from Taiwan

Taiwan condemned on Friday the "heavy sentences" handed to three Tiananmen vigil activists in Hong Kong for national security crimes.

"The pursuit of democracy and human rights is not a crime," Taiwan's top China policy body said in a statement, adding that authorities have "fabricated charges and conducted political trials in the name of national security to shield an authoritarian regime".

"To erase memories"

The group also operated a museum dedicated to the crackdown and held events, including an annual washing of the "Pillar of Shame", a statue to mourn victims.

The statue was dismantled and removed from its long-time plinth at the University of Hong Kong in late 2021, and other local universities followed suit with similar objects.

Prosecutors argued that evidence in the case, including the statue and archives from the Hong Kong Alliance's museum, should be confiscated.

Judge Alex Lee said on Friday that the statue's fate would be decided after a decision on its ownership.

Ahead of Friday's sentencing, Chow said, "The authorities' true intentions were finally laid bare as this prosecution is an attempt to erase memories, particularly those of June 4, by reading too much into certain slogans."