Two pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong, Lee Cheuk-yan, 69, and Chow Hang-tung, 41, were convicted on August 21 of inciting subversion under the 2020 national security law imposed by Beijing [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]. Both are former leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, which organised annual vigils commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown [3, 4, 5, 6, 7].

The activists were charged in 2021 and have been detained since then [3, 4, 5, 7]. The court ruled they incited others to plan and participate in unlawful acts intending to subvert state power [2, 3, 7]. The defence argued the activists genuinely believed their actions were lawful, but the court rejected this, stating the acts exceeded lawful freedom of expression [7].

Lee and Chow deny the charges. Lee said his push for political reform came from love, not hostility, towards China [4]. Chow described the trial as one where "the law itself was on trial" [3]. A third defendant, former lawmaker Albert Ho, 74, pleaded guilty in January when the trial began, which lasted 24 days [3].

The Hong Kong Alliance, disbanded following the imposition of the national security law, had organised the annual candlelight vigils held in Victoria Park from the 1990s until 2020—the last large public commemoration of the Tiananmen crackdown on Chinese soil before it was banned [3, 4, 5, 6, 7]. The law, imposed after mass pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, prohibits acts deemed to subvert state power [3, 5, 7].

Human rights groups have condemned the convictions. Mark Clifford of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong called the judicial system "twisted" and said Lee and Chow were "true Chinese patriots" silenced for speaking truth to power [5]. Elaine Pearson of Human Rights Watch said the activists exposed government fears about the memory of its atrocities and urged global accountability for Beijing [5].

The convicted activists face up to 10 years in prison, but the court has not yet announced a sentencing date [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7].