Key facts
- Two Hong Kong activists, Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung, were convicted of 'incitement to subversion' for organizing Tiananmen Square vigils.
- The verdict is a high-profile case under Hong Kong's national security law, with defendants facing up to 10 years in prison.
- Hong Kong officials dismissed Western criticism of the verdict as 'slanderous' and defended the actions as necessary for national security.
- France and Germany regretted the conviction, asserting that peaceful advocacy for human rights is not a crime.
- The case involved the Hong Kong Alliance's slogan demanding an 'end to one-party rule,' which the court deemed an intent to stir hostility.
Hong Kong officials have strongly criticized Western nations for their condemnations of a recent verdict against leaders associated with the banned Tiananmen Square vigil. The government dismissed the criticism as 'slanderous,' asserting its commitment to upholding national security and stability.
Two activists, Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung, were found guilty of 'incitement to subversion' for organizing annual vigils commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. This verdict is one of the most significant since Beijing imposed its national security law on Hong Kong in 2020. The law has been used to suppress dissent and dismantle civil society in the city.
France and Germany expressed regret over the conviction, stating that peaceful advocacy for human rights does not constitute a crime. The case centered on the Hong Kong Alliance's slogan demanding an 'end to one-party rule,' which the court found intended to stir hostility and cause division. The defense argued that the Alliance was exercising freedom of speech.
The UK Foreign Office stated that the verdict demonstrates how peaceful remembrance is now treated as a threat to national security in Hong Kong, undermining China's commitments under the Sino-British joint declaration. The city was once one of the only places on Chinese soil where public vigils for the Tiananmen crackdown were permitted, but such commemorations have been effectively banned since 2020.