Three leaders of the disbanded Hong Kong Alliance, Lee Cheuk-yan, Albert Ho, and Chow Hang-tung were sentenced today (August 21) under the “Hong Kong National Security Law” for allegedly “inciting others to subvert the state power.” The Hong Kong High Court ruled that the defendants are guilty. Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council and several international organizations condemned the court’s judgment.
The case was heard at the West Kowloon Court of Final Appeal today under heavy rain. A large number of citizens braved the weather to wait outside the courtroom for the verdict. The judicial authorities arranged a total of 553 public seats and 71 press seats in the main courtroom and the extended courtroom for observation. Multiple police officers patrolled the area for security.
The court session began around 10 a.m. The verdict was issued, finding Lee Cheuk-yan, Chow Hang-tung, and the Alliance guilty of “inciting to subvert state power.” While the Alliance, former chairman Lee Cheuk-yan, and former vice-chairman Chow Hang-tung denied the charges, former vice-chairman Albert Ho pleaded guilty before the trial. The court did not immediately sentence the defendants, but will reconvene for sentencing on August 28.
According to the “Hong Kong National Security Law,” the offense of “inciting to subvert state power” carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
The case was presided over by three judges designated by the High Court: Judges Li Yun-teng, Chan Chung-hang, and Lai Yuen-kei.
BBC Chinese reported that during a brief recess in court, Lee Cheuk-yan gestured a heart shape and smiled at the audience as he was led away from the defendant’s dock. Chow Hang-tung maintained a smile throughout the proceedings. Albert Ho, who had previously pleaded guilty, was not brought to court.
Among the spectators waiting in line, social activist “Long Hair” Leung Kwok-hung stated that he visited Lee Cheuk-yan last week and found him in good spirits.
Some citizens expressed discontent with the queueing groups setting up tents outside the court. They reported the matter to the police, who said it was the responsibility of the court security but the security personnel claimed it should be handled by the police. Citizens criticized both sides for passing the responsibility to each other.
When former Alliance executive committee member Tang Yue-jun came to observe the trial, the police conducted two searches of his belongings and a female officer even requested to take away his personal items.
Lee Cheuk-yan’s wife, Emily Lau, said in an interview after leaving the court that she believed her husband is innocent. She criticized the judgment as unfair and questioned the court for not accepting Lee Cheuk-yan and his defense lawyer’s arguments, suggesting the trial was biased. When asked about the possibility of an appeal, she mentioned that they would discuss it with her husband before making a decision.
Chow Hang-tung entrusted someone to post online before the verdict was announced, stating, “Justice lies in people’s hearts and does not need to rely on such top-down judgments. A single judgment is insignificant.”
Multiple foreign diplomatic representatives in Hong Kong attended the court session as observers.
Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council issued a statement expressing deep regret over the verdict, calling on Beijing and the Hong Kong authorities to release those detained in this case immediately and to stop suppressing dissenting voices in the name of national security. The statement indicated that “in recent years, the Chinese Communist Party and the Hong Kong government have continued political prosecutions, with those involved in this case further being convicted, once again confirming the continuous use of the judiciary by the Chinese Communist Party and the Hong Kong government as a tool for repression, erasing Hong Kong’s original diversity and freedom.”
Sarah Brooks, Deputy Director for Asia Pacific at Amnesty International, said, “Chow Hang-tung and Lee Cheuk-yan are prisoners of conscience; they should never have been prosecuted from the beginning. The authorities must immediately and unconditionally release them.”
Former Hong Kong Legislative Council member and spokesperson for Amnesty International’s Hong Kong Overseas Branch, Teng Chung-hung, stated that the judgment once again proves that the “Hong Kong National Security Law” is being used to punish those who peacefully commemorate the events of June 4.
He remarked, “For decades, Hong Kong has been the only place in mainland China where large-scale public commemorations of the Tiananmen Square incident could be held. Today’s decision marks another disappointing milestone in the government’s deliberate attempt to erase this history and suppress voices seeking truth, justice, and accountability.”
Elaine Pearson, Director for Asia at Human Rights Watch, said, “The three participants in the ‘June Fourth’ candlelight vigil… exposed the Chinese government’s fear of its own human rights abuses memory, with the authorities seeing remembering history as a threat to national security.”
The Hong Kong Alliance for the Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China was officially established in May 1989 during the million-person march in Hong Kong in support of the 1989 democratic movement in Beijing. Founded under the chairmanship of Szeto Wah, the Alliance continuously organized commemorative activities for the 1989 Beijing Tiananmen crackdown until it was banned by the Hong Kong government in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In September 2021, Lee Cheuk-yan, Chow Hang-tung, and Albert Ho were formally charged, and the Alliance also passed a resolution to dissolve at the end of that month.