Hong Kong’s Tiananmen vigil leaders convicted under national security law

Sun Sep 06 2026 02:12:18 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Three former Tiananmen memorial organizers in Hong Kong found guilty of inciting subversion, facing up to 10 years in jail.

In a decisive court ruling, Hong Kong activists Lee Cheuk‑yan, Chow Hang‑tung and former lawmaker Albert Ho were convicted of inciting subversion for organising annual Tiananmen Square vigils, the state argued they threatened national security. The verdict arrives amid China’s tightening grip on dissent in the Special Administrative Region and underscores the risk activists face when exercising freedom of assembly. The defendants’ conviction reflects *"extremely vague, overly broad and arbitrary"* definitions of ‘subversion’ highlighted by Amnesty International. Sentencing will occur later, with a maximum 10‑year prison term looming for each. The case marks a further erosion of human‑rights guarantees in Hong Kong.

HK’s Tiananmen activists guilty in national security trial

A prison van arrives outside West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts ahead of the verdict.

Two Hong Kong activists who organised annual vigils to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown have been found guilty of inciting subversion under the city’s national security law.

Lee Cheuk‑yan (69) and Chow Hang‑tung (41) face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, with sentencing to be announced later. A third defendant, 74‑year‑old former lawmaker Albert Ho, pleaded guilty in January and is also subject to the same maximum term.

Prosecutors argued the defendants “endangered national security in the name of human rights”, while Chow, who represented herself, insisted the law itself was on trial. The activities were part of the now‑defunct Hong Kong Alliance, a group founded the same month the Chinese government’s crackdown on pro‑democracy protesters at Tiananmen Square took place.

The Alliance demanded accountability for the 1989 crackdown, the release of dissidents, and democratic reform. Its leaders have been behind bars since being charged in 2021, after the metropolis banned the vigils and enacted the national security law in 2020.

Amnesty International has warned that the case relies on vague, overly broad and arbitrary definitions of subversion. The verdict signals a shrinking space for dissent in Hong Kong and a tightening of Beijing’s control over the region’s civil society.