Two Hong Kong activists who organised annual vigils to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown have been found guilty of inciting others to subvert state power under the city’s controversial national security law.
Lee Cheuk-yan, 69, and Chow Hang-tung, 41, face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison after being convicted under the China-introduced law. Sentencing is expected at a later date.
A third defendant, Albert Ho, 74, pleaded guilty in January.
Lee and Chow “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.
Hong Kong used to be one of the only places in Chinese territory where people could gather to mark the deadly 1989 crackdown against pro-democracy protesters.
Authorities banned these gatherings in 2020, citing Covid-19 policies, but they have never resumed. This was also the year the national security law, which makes illegal a wider range of dissenting acts, officially came into force.
In mainland China, authorities have banned even oblique references to the 1989 crackdown.
In the courtroom, Chow smiled as the verdict was read out, while Lee showed little emotion as he made a heart gesture and folded his hands to show his gratitude to those in the gallery.
Lee, a lawmaker, and Chow, a lawyer, were also leaders of the now-defunct Hong Kong Alliance (HKA), which has been described as a “toxic tumour” by Chinese authorities.
The HKA was founded in May 1989 to support students holding pro-democracy rallies. Weeks later, the Communist Party crushed pro-democracy protests in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square with troops and tanks. Estimates of the death toll range from a few hundred to many thousands.
