Hong Kong activists sentenced for holding Tiananmen remembrance vigil

Former heads of the now-defunct Hong Kong Alliance, Chow Hang-tung and Lee Cheuk-yan, were sentenced to prison after a court concluded they incited subversion by organising Hong Kong’s annual Tiananmen Square vigil. Arrested in 2021 and held without trial, the duo had led candlelight gatherings in Victoria Park for more than three decades, a practice once seen as a hallmark of Hong Kong’s relative freedom. Under the National Security Law introduced in 2020, authorities deemed the non-violent remembrance of the 1989 massacre a threat to state security.

Security Secretary Chris Tang had previously warned that any dissent, regardless of its form, would be met with severe penalties. The verdict eliminates the city’s public tribute to the victims of the Tiananmen crackdown and signals a broader erosion of speech and assembly rights. Observers note that the ruling reflects the mainland’s expanding control over Hong Kong’s civil society. The sentencing also serves as a warning to journalists, activists and publishers who challenge official narratives.