Observers say case brought under China-imposed law has crushed city's pro-democracy movement
Two former organizers of Hong Kong's decades-old vigil in remembrance of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown were convicted Friday in a national security case brought under a China-imposed law that has effectively crushed the city's previously thriving pro-democracy movement.
Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung, former leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, were charged in 2021 with inciting subversion under the national security law.
asserted
yan → say → law
They both had pleaded not guilty and face a maximum prison term of 10 years.
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They → plead → years
The alliance was also found guilty.
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alliance → find → ?
The three judges ruled that the alliance's call to "end one-party dictatorship" did not aim to demand that the ruling Communist Party return to the system of multiparty co-operation under the constitution, but to end its leadership status under the constitution.
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Party → rule → constitution
They said the "end" in the phrase carried the meaning of "overthrowing" and "undermining."
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end → say → overthrowing
In the verdict, they wrote that the defendants persisted in the call after the law's introduction, neglecting that it was in breach of the constitution, which states the party's leadership is an essential characteristic of socialism with Chinese characteristics.
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leadership → write → characteristics
That falls within "other unlawful means" under the security law, the judges said.
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judges → fall → law
The verdict is among the latest involving Hong Kong's once-vibrant pro-democracy movement, which has largely been dismantled by Hong Kong and Chinese authorities.
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which → involve → Kong
For three decades, the candlelight vigil organized by the alliance was the only large-scale public commemoration that drew tens of thousands of people annually to mourn the victims in China.
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that → organize → China
The event was banned in 2020 during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, weeks before Beijing imposed the security law on Hong Kong to quell the 2019 massive anti-government protests.
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Beijing → ban → protests
Erosion of freedom of expression
Lee and Chow smiled and waved at the public gallery before they left the courtroom.
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they → smile → courtroom
They are expected to be sentenced at a later date.
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They → expect → date
They will plead for lesser sentences next week, one of the judges said.
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one → plead → judges
Observers say their trial symbolizes the erosion of freedom of expression in the former British colony, which returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
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which → say → 1997
Lee and Chow smiled and waved at the public gallery before they left the courtroom.
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they → smile → courtroom
They are expected to be sentenced at a later date.
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They → expect → date
They will plead for lesser sentences next week, one of the judges said.
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one → plead → judges
The judges have not read out the reasons behind the conviction, saying the full judgment would be available online later.
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judgment → read → conviction
Eric Lai, a senior fellow with the Georgetown Center for Asian Law, said the charge of inciting subversion was commonly used in mainland China to criminalize the acts of human rights lawyers, activists and intellectuals, including late Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo.
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charge → say → Xiaobo
"We can see to what extent the court in Hong Kong falls into the level of the party-led judiciary in the mainland through the criminal verdict," he said.
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he → see → verdict
They were accused of inciting the overthrow of China's ruling party.
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They → accuse → party
During the trial, prosecutors said the case was not political and focused on what they viewed as a call by the alliance to incite others to overthrow the leadership of China's ruling Communist Party through unlawful means, pointing to "ending one-party rule," one of the group's core demands.
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they → say → demands
But Lee told the court that the call was not about ending the party's leadership but about moving toward democracy, letting the people decide who leads them, and that the Communist Party should not enforce "dictatorship."
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Party → tell → dictatorship
Chow, a barrister who defended herself, said "ending one-party rule" means ending a state where power is unrestricted.
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power → defend → state
She criticized how the standard for determining right and wrong was turned upside down in this case.
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standard → criticize → case
In her Patreon post Thursday, she recalled being shackled in handcuffs, and in waist and ankle chains, for trips to court from prison, saying she was walked by correctional service officers "like a dog."
"Justice lives in the hearts of the people.
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Justice → recall → people
There is no need to look up to this kind of top-down ruling, and one verdict doesn't matter much," she said.
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she → be → ruling
The trial, initially scheduled for 75 days, moved faster than expected and concluded its closing statements on the 24th day.
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trial → schedule → day
When it began in January, Albert Ho, another defendant in the case, entered a guilty plea, a move that typically could result in a reduced sentence.
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that → begin → sentence
Lee and Chow are expected to plead for lesser penalties at a separate hearing and could be sentenced alongside Ho.
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Lee → expect → Ho
After the conviction, Lee's wife, Elizabeth Tang, told reporters she was disappointed and angry about the result even though it was within her expectations.
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it → tell → expectations
She insisted Lee was innocent.
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Lee → insist → ?
"I feel it's unfair.
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it → feel → ?
I feel the judges did not consider our lawyers' opinions and materials," she said, adding that they would decide whether to appeal later.
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they → feel → opinions
Supporters cast doubt on allegations
Dozens of people lined up outside the court under drizzling rain ahead of the hearing.
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Dozens → cast → hearing
Tang Ngok-kwan, a former alliance member, said police wouldn't let him join the line if he insisted on bringing along "sensitive" materials, including bookmarks printed with "vindicate June 4."
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he → say → bookmarks
He decided not to go into the court.
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He → decide → court
Tang said a guilty verdict for the alliance would "upend his understanding" of the city's laws.
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verdict → say → laws
Hundreds of people, and possibly thousands, were killed in the 1989 crackdown as military tanks rolled into the center of Beijing.
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tanks → kill → Beijing
The crackdown was a pivotal moment in China's modern history, determining that the market reform that transformed the country into the world's second-largest economy would not be coupled with political liberalization.
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that → determine → liberalization
…and 4 more, not listed.
