THREE HONG KONG TIANANMEN VIGIL ACTIVISTS JAILED UNDER SECURITY LAW

A Hong Kong court sentenced three Tiananmen vigil activists to prison terms of five to seven years on Friday under the national security law. Lee Cheuk-yan, Chow Hang-tung and Albert Ho received sentences of seven years, seven years and three months, and five years and two months respectively. The court found the three had incited subversion by calling for an end to "one-party dictatorship" in mainland China. All three had been detained since their initial charges in 2021.

The activists were former leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, the organisation that staged annual candlelight vigils in Victoria Park commemorating those killed on 4 June 1989 during Beijing's military operation around Tiananmen Square. Lee and Chow pleaded not guilty, whilst Ho entered a guilty plea in January. Chow, a barrister who represented herself, stated at a hearing last month that she rejected the convictions and had "nothing to repent for". The court also imposed a HK$1.5 million fine on the disbanded alliance. Public vigils commemorating the 1989 events have been effectively outlawed in Hong Kong since the National Security Law came into effect.

The convictions have drawn condemnation from the United Nations, human rights organisations and foreign governments. Prosecutors argued that evidence including a statue used by the alliance and archives from its museum should be confiscated. The "Pillar of Shame", a statue at the University of Hong Kong dedicated to mourning victims of the 1989 crackdown, was dismantled and removed in late 2021, with other local universities following suit.