Hong Kong’s Tiananmen activists convicted in national security trial: What to know

Hong Kong’s High Court on Friday convicted two former leaders of a disbanded group that were responsible for organizing annual vigils to mark ​Beijing's 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown.

In a national security trial, Hong Kong activists Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung were found guilty of inciting others “to subvert state power”, going against ​China-imposed National Security Law (NSL). A third defendant, Albert Ho pleaded guilty in January.

Under the recent court ruling, they face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison with sentencing scheduled for a later date. Since 2021, they have been arrested and put behind bars.

The defendants "intended to cause others to lose confidence in the CCP by stirring ​up hostility and causing division, so as to achieve the objective of undermining the ​fundamental basic system," the judges stated in a 16-page ruling, referring to China's ruling Communist Party.

“Even ‌though ⁠they believed and envisaged that the acts of resistance may not necessarily involve the use of violence or threat of violence, those acts would be in breach of the NSL, and carry a risk of long-term imprisonment,” the ruling read.

Lee and Chow were leaders of the now-defunct Hong Kong Alliance (HKA) founded in May 1989, which arranged the annual Victoria Park candlelight vigils for the Tiananmen Square crackdown against pro-democracy demonstrators over 30 years.

Initially such commemorations were allowed on Chinese territory but in 2020 under the pretext of COVID-19 policies, the authorities banned such gatherings. Since then they have never been resumed.

To further restrict such gatherings, China in 2020 imposed sweeping law NSL aimed at criminalizing subversion, secession, terrorism and foreign collusion. The law also outlawed public displays of mourning and political dissent in the city.