Hong Kong Convicts Tiananmen Vigil Organizers of Inciting Subversion

Hong Kong authorities hit back Saturday at baseless slander and smearing by Western countries over the convictions of the now-disbanded Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China and its former leaders for inciting subversion.

A government spokesman stressed the High Court's well-reasoned and sound verdict. Former chairman Lee Cheuk-yan, 69, and former vice-chairwoman Chow Hang-tung, 41, were found guilty on Friday of inciting subversion under a China-imposed national security law. A third defendant, former lawmaker Albert Ho, pleaded guilty when the trial opened in January. The alliance itself was also found guilty.

The defendants could face up to 10 years in prison. Lee and Chow have been on remand for nearly five years since their September 2021 arrests. Ho has been behind bars since May 2021, except for a seven-month bail period. The Hong Kong Alliance, set up after the 1989 Tiananmen Square movement, organized annual June 4 vigils in Victoria Park and called for ending one-party dictatorship in mainland China.

The three judges, in their 216-page judgment, found the alliance, Lee, and Chow incited public hatred towards the Communist Party of China by likening Beijing's 1989 crackdown to local authorities' response to the 2019 anti-government demonstrations. They ruled that any attempt to overthrow or undermine the party's leadership could constitute subversion because the country's constitution does not permit Western-style democracy.

The government spokesman stated they were not prosecuted for their political beliefs, rejecting assertions by Western countries that the verdict demonstrated freedom of expression was being eroded. Hong Kong leader John Lee and Chief Superintendent Steve Li of the police’s National Security Department approved the convictions, with Lee stating the Alliance had long been deliberately planting seeds of hatred against the CPC.

Activists and overseas human rights groups expressed concern about declining freedoms in the city. The UK condemned the Chinese court's conviction. The sentencing for the convicted individuals has not yet been reported.