The Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, also known as the Hong Kong Alliance, and its three leaders, Lee Cheuk-yan, Albert Ho, and Chow Hang Tung, were sentenced today (September 11) at the Western Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts for their involvement in the “inciting subversion of state power” case. The organization has been dissolved and the three leaders received varying prison terms ranging from 5 years and 2 months to 7 years and 3 months.
Under the Hong Kong National Security Law, Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang Tung, who did not plead guilty, were sentenced to 7 years and 7 years and 3 months respectively, while Albert Ho, who pleaded guilty, received a 5-year and 2-month prison term. The Alliance was also fined 1.5 million Hong Kong dollars.
This morning, several citizens attended the court session, including Chow Hang Tung’s mother, Lee Cheuk-yan’s wife, Winnie Tang, former Alliance council members Jacqueline Hung, Kenny Choi, Leung Kam Wai, and Teng Yuek Kwan.
According to multiple Hong Kong media reports, over a hundred people, including retired Bishop Joseph Zen of the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong, were present in court to observe the proceedings. Judge Alex Lee said that there are differences in opinions on how to handle the “pillar of the country’s demise,” and a future date will be set for further deliberation.
The Hong Kong Alliance, officially named the “Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China,” was established on May 21, 1989 during a million-strong rally in Hong Kong in support of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. The first chairman was Szeto Wah. The Alliance has been organizing annual commemorations of the 1989 Beijing Tiananmen Square crackdown until the Hong Kong government banned the event in 2020 citing the COVID-19 pandemic.
In September 2021, Lee Cheuk-yan, Albert Ho, Chow Hang Tung, and three others were formally charged, leading to the dissolution of the Hong Kong Alliance by the end of the same month.