Hong Kong Tiananmen vigil organizers handed lengthy prison terms

Three former leaders of the now-disbanded Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China have received lengthy prison sentences for inciting subversion under the city's National Security Law. Chow Hang-tung was sentenced to seven years and three months, while Lee Cheuk-yan received seven years in jail. Albert Ho, another former leader who pleaded guilty, was given a sentence of five years and two months.

The convictions and sentences, handed down on Friday, September 11, 2026, stem from their roles in organizing Hong Kong's annual Tiananmen Square vigil. The court ruled that the Alliance's long-held slogan, "end one-party dictatorship," constituted inciting subversion and public hatred against the Chinese Communist Party. The Hong Kong Alliance itself was also ordered to pay a fine of HK$1.5 million.

This case is widely viewed as a significant step in the ongoing crackdown on dissent and the erosion of freedoms in Hong Kong since Beijing imposed the National Security Law in 2020. For decades, the annual candlelight vigil was the sole large-scale public commemoration of the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown permitted on Chinese territory.