Three activists in Hong Kong, known for organizing vigils in memory of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown in China, have been sentenced to prison terms ranging from five to more than seven years. The sentencing, seen as a gauge of the city’s freedoms amid Beijing’s crackdown on dissent, took place on Friday.
Lee Cheuk-yan, Chow Hang-tung, and Albert Ho were found guilty earlier this year of inciting subversion under a national security law imposed by Beijing. Lee and Chow, who denied the charges, received seven years and seven years plus three months in prison, respectively. Ho was handed a five-year sentence with an additional two months, a shorter term due in part to his admission of guilt.
The trio was arrested in September 2021 and has been in custody since then. Hong Kong, once known for vibrant civil society and large-scale protests, saw the annual vigil for the Tiananmen Square incident as a symbol of the civil liberties enjoyed under the “one country, two systems” principle following the handover from Britain in 1997.
However, in the aftermath of the 2019 protest movement, public participation in elections was restricted, and government critics, including news outlet leaders, faced legal action. Numerous activists were jailed under the security law, leading to the dissolution of many civil society organizations, including the vigil alliance. Beijing defends the law as essential for maintaining stability.
The sentencing of the Tiananmen activists is the latest in a series of high-profile punishments under the security law. Earlier this year, former pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai was handed a 20-year prison term.