Tiananmen Square vigil organisers found guilty in Hong Kong of ‘inciting subversion’
Summary
Two Hong Kong activists, Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung, were found guilty of inciting subversion for organizing annual vigils remembering the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. They face up to 10 years in prison under Hong Kong’s national security law imposed by Beijing in 2020.Key Facts
- Lee Cheuk-yan (69) and Chow Hang-tung (41) were leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance, which organized Tiananmen Square vigils.
- They were accused of encouraging people to take part in acts that threaten state power.
- The trial lasted 24 days, and a third defendant, Albert Ho, pleaded guilty earlier.
- The Hong Kong Alliance has been disbanded and the vigils banned since the 2020 national security law.
- The law was introduced after large protests in Hong Kong in 2019 and aims to stop actions seen as challenging Beijing’s authority.
- Public vigils for the Tiananmen crackdown were unique to Hong Kong and Macau within China before the ban.
- Amnesty International criticized the case, saying the law’s definitions of "subversion" are too vague and broad.
- Supporters and human rights groups see the case as evidence of Beijing’s increasing control over Hong Kong’s freedoms.
Read the Full Article
This is a fact-based summary from The Actual News. Click below to read the complete story directly from the original source.
