
Three Hong Kong activists, Lee Cheuk-yan, Chow Hang-tung and Albert Ho, were sentenced Friday to prison terms of five to more than seven years for organizing vigils in memory of the Tiananmen massacre, a decision criticized by human rights defenders and Taiwan as an attack on democracy and freedom of expression.
AI-generated summary
The trial is part of the application of the national security law in Hong Kong, used to suppress dissenting voices since its entry into force in 2020. Vigils in memory of the Tiananmen massacre had become a symbol of peaceful resistance before being banned.
The trial was criticized by several countries and human rights associations. Three activists who organized vigils in memory of the Tiananmen massacre were sentenced to between five and more than seven years in prison on Friday September 11 in Hong Kong. Lee Cheuk-yan, 69, Chow Hang-tung, 41, and Albert Ho, 74, were convicted of inciting subversion in August and have been detained since their indictment in 2021.
These âsevere sentencesâ highlight âthe cruelty and insecurity of a government which fears memory and the peopleâ, reacted the Asia director of Human Rights Watch. Taiwan also condemned the âheavy sentencesâ handed down by the Hong Kong courts. "The pursuit of democracy and human rights is not a crime," Taiwan's body in charge of China affairs said.
A repressive law on national security
AI outlook â possibilities, not facts
New arrests of activists linked to the Tiananmen commemorations could follow in the coming months.
Likely · Within months
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