Hong Kong court finds Tiananmen vigil leaders guilty of inciting subversion

Lee Cheuk-yan, 69, and Chow Hang-tung, 41, were found guilty by a three‑judge panel of inciting subversion for organising annual vigils that mark the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. The court said their actions amounted to "overthrowing or undermining the basic system… established by the Constitution" of China. Both face up to ten years in prison, with sentencing to be handed down later.

Why the verdict matters

The ruling signals the broadening reach of Hong Kong’s national security law, introduced in 2020 after months of large‑scale pro‑democracy protests. Public commemorations of the June 4 tragedy were once the only legally permitted gatherings of that kind on Chinese soil, taking place in Victoria Park. By branding peaceful remembrance as a threat to state power, authorities are tightening control over civil society and further eroding the city’s limited freedoms.

International reaction was swift. Riley Barnes, the US assistant secretary of state for human rights, said on X: "We call for Lee and Chow's immediate release." Britain, Germany and France condemned the verdict, arguing that peaceful advocacy for human rights should not be treated as a crime.

"The Hong Kong Alliance has spent years planting seeds of hatred against the Chinese Communist Party and the central government among the Hong Kong people," said Steve Li, chief superintendent of the police's National Security Department.

What comes next

The court will hear mitigation arguments next week before delivering sentences. A third defendant, former lawmaker Albert Ho, pleaded guilty earlier this year and is likely to receive a reduced term. Families of the convicted expressed anger and hope for leniency; Elizabeth Tang, Lee's wife, described herself as "furious, angry" and urged a light sentence.

Human‑rights groups such as Amnesty International and legal scholars, including Eric Lai of the Georgetown Center for Asian Law, warned that the "incitement to subversion" charge shifts focus from conduct to intent, offering little protection for peaceful expression. Urania Chiu, an Oxford Brookes law lecturer, said the verdict sends a chilling message to civil society across the city.

With the United States preparing a state visit by President Xi Jinping next month, diplomatic pressure may mount, but the immediate impact will be felt by Hong Kong’s dwindling opposition movement and its ability to commemorate historic events.