Hong Kong Dissidents Receive Lengthy Prison Terms Over Tiananmen Commemorations

Three Hong Kong activists who organized annual vigils marking the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown have been sentenced to prison terms of up to seven years.

Lee Cheuk-yan, 69, and Chow Hang-tung, 41, were convicted last month of inciting subversion of state power under the city’s contentious national security law. A third defendant, Albert Ho, 74, pleaded guilty in January.

The office of United Nations human rights chief Volker Türk has urged that “these sentences be quashed.”

For years, Hong Kong and Macau were the only locations on Chinese soil where citizens could gather to commemorate the Tiananmen crackdown—a topic that remains highly sensitive and heavily censored in mainland China.

Authorities banned these gatherings in 2020 under the guise of Covid-19 policies, though they never resumed. That same year, the national security law, which criminalizes a broader spectrum of dissenting acts, officially took effect.

While authorities assert the law is essential for maintaining stability, critics contend it has undermined Hong Kong’s autonomy and fostered an atmosphere of fear.

Lee, Chow, and Ho were charged in 2021 and faced maximum sentences of ten years upon conviction.

On Friday, the court sentenced Lee to seven years, while Chow received seven years and three months. Ho, who pleaded guilty, was sentenced to five years.

As the session commenced, Chow and Lee stood and smiled at the packed public gallery, whereas Ho maintained a serious expression.

Following the pronouncement of their sentences, Lee appeared to pray as he was led from the dock, while Chow blew a kiss to those seated in the gallery.

According to an August court summary, Lee and Chow had “incited other persons to organise, plan, commit or participate in acts by unlawful means with a view to subverting the state power.”

Chow asserted in May that the law itself was on trial.

A central element of the trial focused on the group’s slogan of “ending one-party dictatorship,” which the court determined had incited individuals to undermine the Chinese Communist Party.

Lee’s wife, Elizabeth Tang, described it as a “sad day” to Reuters.

“I cannot fathom that he must spend another three years in jail; it is truly unacceptable,” she stated, adding that Lee intends to appeal his sentence.

Chow’s mother, Medina, addressed a crowd outside the court, urging them not to be “overly saddened” by the verdict. “Do not lose heart. And above all, do not feel guilty,” she said, according to Reuters.

Speaking to the BBC prior to her arrest in 2022, Chow stated she was “prepared to be arrested” and “willing to pay the price for fighting for democracy.”

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