Hong Kong court hears final arguments in the trial of Tiananmen vigil organizers
Chow Hang-tung and Lee Cheuk-yan could face up to 10 years if convicted of inciting subversion over the banned vigils.
- A Hong Kong court began hearing closing arguments Monday, May 18, 2026, in the national security trial of pro-democracy activists Chow Hang-tung and Lee Cheuk-yan.
- Authorities charged the pair under the Beijing-imposed National Security Law, claiming their organization of annual Tiananmen vigils served as evidence of the group "endangering national security."
- Prosecutors argued the alliance's demand of "ending one-party rule" incited unlawful subversion, though Chow and Lee denied this meant ending the Communist Party's leadership.
- Amnesty International designated both as prisoners of conscience, while Deputy Regional Director Sarah Brooks criticized the "vague, overly broad and arbitrary definitions of" subversion used in the case.
- If convicted, the activists face up to 10 years in prison for actions occurring in a city where Tiananmen Square commemorations have been banned since 2020.
42 Articles
42 Articles
Pro-democracy activist Chow Hang-tung, a watchmaker in memory of the repression of Tiananmen by the Chinese authorities on June 4, 1989, told a Hong Kong court on Tuesday, May 19, that she "requested fully" the acts for which she was tried during her final plea. She faces ten years in prison.
Rutland Herald
Hong Kong court hears final arguments in trial of Tiananmen vigil organizers, hopes for July verdict
A Hong Kong court has concluded final arguments in a national security trial for two former organizers of vigils remembering the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. A judge said Tuesday that the court hoped to deliver a verdict in July for…
Hong Kong Court Hears Final Arguments in Trial of Tiananmen Vigil Organizers
HONG KONG—A Hong Kong court started hearing final arguments Monday in the national security trial of two organizers of the large vigils remembering the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. Hong Kong for decades was the only place in China where a large-scale public commemoration of the massacre was held. The vigils were banned in 2020, and the two former organizers were charged in 2021 with inciting subversion under a Beijing-imposed national securit…
Hong Kong court must not ‘pay lip service’ to human rights, lawyer tells trial of Tiananmen vigil activists
A defence lawyer for a Tiananmen vigil activist has urged a Hong Kong court not to “pay lip service” to human rights protections, arguing that calls to “end one-party rule” in China should be considered legitimate political expressions. Alliance leaders (from left) Lee Cheuk-yan, Chow Hang-tung, and Albert Ho appear on the giant screen at Hong Kong’s annual Tiananmen crackdown vigil on June 4, 2019. File photo: Todd R. Darling/HKFP. Barrister Er…
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- 43% of the sources lean Left, 43% of the sources are Center
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