Hong Kong Activists Convicted Over Tiananmen Memorials

Sun Sep 06 2026 00:47:47 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung have been found guilty under Hong Kong’s national security law for organising 1989 Tiananmen vigils.

Two senior members of the former Hong Kong Alliance were convicted on Sunday for inciting subversion of state power, a charge that echoes the city’s tightened controls over dissent. The trial was part of a wider crackdown under the national security law introduced by Beijing in 2020. While a third former lawmaker previously pleaded guilty, the two defendants face sentences up to 10 years. Legal experts warn that the convictions rely on vague definitions of subversion, raising concerns about freedom of expression.

Hong Kong activists convicted in national security trial

Lee Cheuk‑yan, 69, and Chow Hang‑tung, 41, were found guilty of inciting subversion of state power for organising annual vigils commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. The convictions were announced on Sunday after a trial that highlighted the increasingly restrictive legal environment in Hong Kong under China’s national security law.

The two activists face a maximum penalty of ten years in prison, with sentencing to be announced later. The case follows Albert Ho, a 74‑year‑old former lawmaker, who pleaded guilty in January. Prosecutors argued that the defendants’ actions “endangered national security in the name of human rights.” Chow, who represented herself, claimed the law itself was on trial.

Hong Kong was once a rare place in Chinese territory where citizens could publicly mourn the Tiananmen massacre. In 2020, the government banned the vigils citing Covid‑19 restrictions and the national security law, which criminalises a broad range of dissent.

Lee and Chow led the Hong Kong Alliance (HKAL), founded in May 1989 to support student protests demanding democratic reforms. The group pressed authorities to acknowledge responsibility for the crackdown and to release political prisoners. The leaders were charged in 2021 and have since remained in custody.

Amnesty International has warned that the case relies on vague, overly broad, and arbitrary definitions of “subversion,” suggesting that it could stifle legitimate political expression.