Two Hong Kong activists who organised annual vigils marking China’s deadly Tiananmen crackdown in 1989 have been found guilty of “incitement to subversion” in one of the most high-profile cases in Hong Kong since Beijing imposed its national security law in 2020.
asserted
Beijing → organise → 2020
Lee Cheuk-yan, 69, and Chow Hang-tung, 41, “incited other persons to organise, plan, commit or participate in acts by unlawful means with a view to subverting the state power”, a press summary handed out to reporters said.
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summary → incite → reporters
The defendants each face a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail, with sentencing expected at a later date.
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sentencing → face → date
Lee and Chow’s trial began in January and took place over 24 days.
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trial → begin → days
A third defendant, the 74-year-old former lawmaker Albert Ho, pleaded guilty in January.
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defendant → plead → January
Chow, who represented herself, told the court in May that the law itself was on trial.
uncertain
law → represent → trial
France and Germany said on Friday they “deeply regret” Chow’s conviction.
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they → say → conviction
“Peaceful advocacy for human rights does not constitute a crime,” the countries’ foreign ministries said of the activist, who was awarded the Franco-German prize for human rights in 2023.
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who → constitute → 2023
Lee and Chow were leaders of the now-disbanded Hong Kong Alliance, which organised the city’s annual vigil in memory of those killed in the crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Beijing in 1989.
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which → disband → 1989
In court, Lee and Chow waved to supporters from the dock, where they were surrounded by correctional officers.
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they → wave → officers
Lee appeared solemn as the judge handed down the verdict.
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judge → appear → verdict
He made a heart-shaped gesture with his hands and waved to supporters before being led out of the court.
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He → make → court
Hong Kong and Macau were formerly the only places on Chinese soil that permitted public vigils to mourn those killed on 4 June 1989, when Chinese sent troops and tanks to crush protests calling for political reform in and around the capital’s Tiananmen Square.
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Chinese → permit → Square
However, public commemoration has been in effect banned since Beijing imposed a national security law on Hong Kong in 2020, after huge and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests the year before.
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Beijing → ban → protests
The Alliance’s leaders were charged in 2021 and have been imprisoned since.
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leaders → charge → 2021
Ahead of the verdict, Chow wrote a message from prison, seen by the Guardian, addressed to the UK prime minister, Andy Burnham.
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Chow → write → minister
“They are trying to rewrite Hong Kong history … they certainly want to erase some memories, or memories of some chapters in our history,” the Cambridge-educated barrister wrote.
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barrister → try → history
Chow added in the letter: “Britain has a non-delegable duty to adopt a more robust stance in the face of the growing threat from a totalitarian and aggressive China.”
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Britain → add → China
The case centred on the Alliance’s slogan demanding an “end to one-party rule”.
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case → centre → rule
The court found that the defendants “intended to cause others to lose confidence in the Chinese Communist party by stirring up hostility and causing division”.
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others → find → division
The defence argued that the Alliance was exercising its freedom of speech.
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Alliance → argue → speech
The rights group Amnesty International has said the case against Lee and Chow “relies on vague, overly broad and arbitrary definitions of ‘subversion’”.
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case → say → subversion
The UK Foreign Office’s Indo-Pacific minister, Rosie Winterton, said: “This verdict is a further demonstration that even peaceful acts of remembrance in Hong Kong are now treated by the authorities as threats to national security.
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acts → say → security
The extensive use of Beijing’s national security law to punish and restrict peaceful expression undermines the commitments China made to Hong Kong under the 1984 Sino-British joint declaration.
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China → punish → declaration
We reiterate our call for the national security law to be repealed, and for rights and freedoms to be respected in the Hong Kong special administrative region.”
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rights → reiterate → region
Dozens of police officers gathered outside the courthouse and ushered reporters away as they stopped to film audience members queueing outside before the hearing began on Friday.
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hearing → gather → Friday
Members of the public had queued for days to secure a seat in the Hong Kong court.
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Members → queue → court
“To me, this case illustrates the absolute power of Beijing in reshaping Hong Kong’s civil society through the national security law,” one supporter told the Guardian.
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supporter → illustrate → Guardian
“This outcome highlights the central government’s total control regarding national security enforcement in the region,” another supporter said.
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supporter → highlight → region
Hong Kong was promised certain political freedoms not granted in the rest of the country when it was returned to China in 1997.
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it → promise → 1997
Critics say the national security law has decimated civil society.
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law → say → society
Most of the city’s opposition leaders have been detained or have fled.
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Most → detain → leaders
Authorities say the law was needed to restore order after a year of protests rocked the international financial hub in 2019.
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year → say → 2019
The Aporia
