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A Hong Kong court on Friday sentenced three prominent pro-democracy activists to prison terms ranging from five to more than seven years over their roles in organizing annual commemorations of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. The trio, who led the now-defunct Hong Kong Alliance, were prosecuted under a sweeping national security law after advocating for an end to one-party rule in China.
The sentencing targets some of the city’s most recognizable civic figures: 41-year-old barrister Chow Hang-tung, 69-year-old veteran activist Lee Cheuk-yan, and 74-year-old former legislator Albert Ho. All three defendants have remained incarcerated since their initial charges were brought in 2021, with their final sentences expected to credit the time they have spent in custody.
Chow and Lee, both of whom maintained their innocence and pleaded not guilty, received prison terms of seven years and three months, and seven years, respectively. Ho, who had entered a guilty plea earlier in January, was handed a sentence of five years and two months.
The convictions follow an August judicial determination that found the activists had contravened the Chinese constitution by publicly demanding an "end to one-party dictatorship." Prosecutors argued before the court that the ultimate primacy of the ruling Communist Party is formally established within Article 1 of China's national constitution.
In delivering the verdict, the judges conceded that the activists' actions did not involve violent conduct and acknowledged that the accused had never outlined a specific schedule to dismantle the existing system of government. Nevertheless, the court determined that their actions constituted a crime of a serious nature, formally dismissing arguments from the defence asserting that the activists genuinely believed their advocacy was protected under Hong Kong’s traditional guarantees of free speech.
The defendants were the core leadership of the Hong Kong Alliance, an organization that for decades coordinated massive annual candlelight vigils in Victoria Park and operated a museum dedicated to preserving the history of the crackdown. The national security legislation under which they were convicted was implemented by Beijing in 2020 in the wake of widespread and occasionally violent mass demonstrations across Hong Kong in 2019.
For decades, Hong Kong and nearby Macau remained the only territories under Chinese jurisdiction where citizens were legally permitted to hold public memorials for the victims of June 4, 1989, when military tanks and armed troops crushed demonstrations calling for political reform in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. However, such public observances have been effectively eliminated in Hong Kong following the implementation of Beijing's security measures.
Inside the courtroom, Chow represented herself and reiterated her defiance, having stated during a preceding hearing that she had "nothing to repent for." Upon receiving her sentence, she raised both of her arms to wave at onlookers and supporters before being led away from the dock by custodial officers.
Outside the court facility, where dozens of police personnel established tight cordons to manage the gathered crowds, Chow’s mother, Medina Chow Lau Wah-chun, was embraced by well-wishers. She remarked that her daughter had maintained an upbeat disposition throughout the legal proceedings, adding that Chow had shown herself to be an outstanding defendant.
Lee also acknowledged his supporters in the gallery, crossing himself, smiling, and bowing toward his wife, Elizabeth Tang Yin-ngor. Among those gathered in solidarity was prominent activist Cardinal Joseph Zen, who joined others outside the courtroom holding hands. Tang voiced profound grief and outrage over the ruling, confirming to reporters that Lee intends to file an appeal against the court's decision.
The outcome was praised by law enforcement officials, with national security police chief Steve Li characterizing the sentences as a stern warning directed at anyone who might consider undertaking similar actions in the future. Li cautioned against underestimating the authorities' resolve to enforce and safeguard national security across the territory.
The court's decision has drawn sharp rebukes from Taiwanese authorities and global human rights organizations. Taiwan's primary agency for China policy condemned the verdicts, asserting that pursuing human rights and democracy is not unlawful, while accusing authorities of fabricating legal pretexts to conduct political prosecutions designed to protect an authoritarian structure.
Human Rights Watch also denounced the ruling, with Asia Director Elaine Pearson stating that the heavy penalties reveal the cruelty and vulnerability of an administration that fears both historical remembrance and its own population.
Expressing similar condemnation, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director Sarah Brooks described the prison terms as a triple tragedy affecting the convicted activists, the survivors of the 1989 crackdown, and ordinary Hong Kong residents who are increasingly stripped of the ability to openly address a pivotal event in contemporary Chinese history.
The sentencing marks a critical milestone in the ongoing enforcement of the national security law, which continues to face broad condemnation from foreign administrations, non-governmental monitoring groups, and the United Nations.
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