7 months ago
Hong Kong Begins Tiananmen Vigil Trial
In Hong Kong, a trial is starting for three former leaders of a group that used to organize annual events to remember the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989.
These protests were against the Chinese government, and the group wanted to end the one-party rule in China.
The Chinese government doesn't allow people to talk about these protests, and Hong Kong has a new law that makes it illegal to try to change the government.
The three leaders are being tried for breaking this law.
They could go to jail for up to 10 years.
The trial is important because it shows how Hong Kong is changing under Chinese rule.
Some people think the trial is unfair because it's being used to silence people who disagree with the government.
The leaders say they are being punished for their beliefs, but the government says the law is needed to keep order.
Hong Kong’s High Court begins the trial of three former leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China for inciting subversion of state power.
The Alliance organized annual vigils to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, which have been banned since 2020 under Hong Kong’s national security law.
The defendants, Lee Cheuk-yan, Albert Ho, and Chow Hang-tung, face up to 10 years in jail if convicted.
The trial centers on whether the Alliance’s goal of 'ending one-party rule' constitutes illegally inciting subversion of state power.
Chow Hang-tung, a Cambridge-educated barrister, has been detained since 2021 and has challenged prison rules and trial restrictions.
- Who
- Three former leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China: Lee Cheuk-yan, Albert Ho, and Chow Hang-tung
- What
- A trial for inciting subversion of state power under Hong Kong's national security law
- Where
- Hong Kong’s High Court
- When
- The trial begins on January 22, 2026, and is expected to last 75 days
- Why
- The defendants are accused of inciting subversion of state power through their involvement with the Alliance, which aimed to 'end one-party rule' in China
Key facts
- Defendants
- Lee Cheuk-yan, Albert Ho, Chow Hang-tung
- Charges
- Inciting subversion of state power
- Maximum Sentence
- 10 years in jail
- Trial Duration
- 75 days
- Key Issue
- Whether Alliance's goal of 'ending one-party rule' constitutes subversion
- Alliance Disbanded
- September 25, 2021
- Last Vigil
- June 4, 2020
- National Security Law Imposed
- June 30, 2020
Quotes
High Court judges
Judges presiding over the national security trial in Hong Kong.
“The court will adjudicate on the basis of evidence and legal principles and will not allow trials to become a tool for political repression … or an abuse of judicial procedures.”
theprint.in
“Both sides are subject to the same restrictions … Nothing unfair is done to the defence.”
theprint.in
Chow Hang-tung
Former vice chair of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China and a detained democratic campaigner.
“The state can lock up people but not their thinking, just as it can lock up facts but not alter truth.”
theprint.in
