Hong Kong Activists Convicted of Inciting Subversion Over Tiananmen Vigil

A Hong Kong court found two prominent activists, Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung, guilty of inciting subversion on Friday, August 21, 2026. The charges are linked to their leadership roles in the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, an organization that used to host annual vigils commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown.

The verdict was delivered by a panel of three judges appointed to handle national security cases. The conviction falls under the stringent National Security Law imposed by Beijing in 2020. Both Lee and Chow face a maximum prison sentence of ten years, although the sentencing date has not yet been set.

Prosecutors argued that the Alliance incited others to overthrow China's ruling Communist Party by calling for an end to its one-party rule. They contended that these calls violated the Chinese constitution and that the defendants fostered public hatred towards Beijing. The defense maintained that the Alliance's objectives were a legitimate exercise of fundamental human rights and that advocating for democratic change should not be considered illegal.

Chow, a barrister who represented herself, argued that advocating for the end of one-party rule was distinct from attempting to remove the Communist Party from power. The court proceedings were marked by a heavy police presence. Following the verdict, some family members and friends present in the public gallery showed gestures of support to the defendants.

“

defending the end of the one-party regime was not the same as trying to dislodge the CCP from its leading position