Story perspectives

Hong Kong Court Convicts Lee Cheuk-yan, Chow Hang-tung

8/22/2026

Summary

Lee, Chow Convicted

Alliance leaders Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung were convicted of incitement to subversion on 21 August 2026.
National security judges Alex Lee Wan-tang, Johnny Chan Jong-herng and Anna Lai Yuen-kee presided over the trial.
The court found they urged an end to one-party dictatorship and incited hatred toward the CPC.
Lee and Chow face up to ten years imprisonment under the National Security Law.

Summary

Chow Detained

Germany and France issued a joint statement regretting the guilty verdict and demanding the activists’ immediate release.
Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council expressed deep regret and urged Beijing and Hong Kong to stop political persecution.
The United States demanded immediate release, calling the trial a human-rights breach.
Police handcuffed Chow, added leg irons and a waist chain, then seized a journalist’s keychain and newspaper clippings at courthouse.

Summary

Lee, Chow Self-Represent

Lee Cheuk-yan and barrister Chow Hang-tung chose to represent themselves during the trial.
The Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China was founded May 1989.
For three decades the Alliance held candlelight vigils in Victoria Park, drawing thousands annually.
After the 2020 ban, the former gathering site was repurposed for pro-Beijing events.
Judges have not released the detailed reasoning behind the verdict, postponing online publication.

History

Historical Context

The 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, where Deng Xiaoping’s government declared martial law on 20 May and deployed up to 300,000 troops, left hundreds dead and sparked worldwide condemnation. Decades later, Hong Kong activists Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung were sentenced in 2026 for urging accountability for those victims, a case Amnesty International says continues the pattern of silencing dissent.

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Lee, Chow Convicted

Alliance leaders Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung were convicted of incitement to subversion on 21 August 2026.
National security judges Alex Lee Wan-tang, Johnny Chan Jong-herng and Anna Lai Yuen-kee presided over the trial.
The court found they urged an end to one-party dictatorship and incited hatred toward the CPC.
Lee and Chow face up to ten years imprisonment under the National Security Law.

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