A Hong Kong court on Friday convicted two pro-democracy activists, Lee Cheuk-yan, 69, and Chow Hang-tung, 41, of inciting subversion. The pair, former leaders of the now-defunct Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, had organized annual vigils to mark Beijing's deadly 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown.
The defendants were charged in 2021 under a 2020 national security law imposed by Beijing. According to a press summary, Lee and Chow incited others to organize, plan, commit or participate in acts by unlawful means with a view to subverting state power. The two former organizers now face a maximum prison term of 10 years.
The high-profile case has been widely criticized as a bellwether for the erosion and deterioration of freedom of expression in the city. It is noted that the China-imposed law has effectively crushed Hong Kong's previously thriving pro-democracy movement. Additionally, an activist group stated that the twisted judicial system had long ago decided the pair were guilty.