HONG KONG — A Hong Kong court is set to deliver sentences on Friday for three prominent pro-democracy activists convicted of inciting subversion, a landmark case that marks the final closure of the city’s once-vibrant history of public dissent regarding the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown.
Lee Cheuk-yan, 69, Chow Hang-tung, 41, and Albert Ho, 74—all former leaders of the now-defunct Hong Kong Alliance—have been held in custody since their arrests in 2021. They face up to 10 years in prison under the national security law, which was imposed by Beijing in 2020 to quell large-scale pro-democracy protests.
The trial centered on the activists’ role in organizing annual candlelight vigils in Victoria Park to mourn those killed during China’s 1989 military crackdown on pro-reform protesters in Beijing. For decades, Hong Kong was the only place on Chinese soil where such public commemorations were permitted. However, the court ruled in August that the trio’s advocacy, specifically their calls to “end one-party dictatorship,” breached the Chinese constitution by seeking to undermine the state’s basic system.
During the proceedings, judges determined that the actions of Lee and Chow, who both pleaded not guilty, constituted efforts to overthrow or undermine the constitutional order. Ho, a former lawmaker, entered a guilty plea in January, a move typically expected to result in a more lenient sentence.
The defense, led by attorney Erik Shum, argued for reduced terms, emphasizing that the activists had engaged only in “peaceful, non-violent” advocacy. However, the defendants remained defiant. Chow, a barrister who represented herself, told the court last month that she rejected the convictions entirely, stating she had “nothing to repent for.”
The case has drawn sharp condemnation from the United Nations, human rights organizations, and various foreign governments, who view the trial as an attempt to systematically dismantle civil society in Hong Kong. Beyond the prison sentences, the prosecution has sought the confiscation of evidence linked to the activists’ work, including items from the Hong Kong Alliance’s museum and the “Pillar of Shame,” a statue memorializing the victims of the crackdown.
Jens Galschiot, the Danish artist who created the statue, condemned the potential confiscation as an “outrageous” attack on his private property and a broader effort to scrub history. “This is an attempt to erase memories, particularly those of June 4,” Chow remarked ahead of Friday’s sentencing, echoing concerns that the authorities are determined to ensure the events of 1989 fade from the public consciousness.
Since the enactment of the national security law, the public commemoration of the Tiananmen crackdown has been effectively banned. The removal of the “Pillar of Shame” from the University of Hong Kong in 2021, followed by similar actions at other institutions, solidified the end of an era. As the city waits for the gavel to fall, the sentencing stands as a final, stark reminder of the narrowing space for political expression in Hong Kong.
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