Hong Kong’s court sentences three pro-democracy activists associated with annual Tiananmen Square vigil commemorations to prison terms ranging from about five years to seven years. The case is prosecuted as national security-related offences, and all three have been held since they were charged in 2021, with sentences expected to include credit for time already served.
The activists—Lee Cheuk-yan, Albert Ho, and Chow Hang-tung (also known as Chow Hang-tung)—had helped organise public commemorations marking the 1989 crackdown in Tiananmen Square. Sources report that prosecutors and the authorities frame the activities as violations of Hong Kong’s Beijing-backed national security law imposed in 2020. France 24 adds that prosecutors cite China’s constitution and the primacy of the Communist Party, while other outlets describe the broader chilling effect on public mourning and dissent.
The reporting also reflects wider disagreement and concern about Hong Kong’s shrinking public space. Several sources note that commemorations have effectively been banned or restricted in recent years, and international bodies and foreign governments condemn the sentences as part of Beijing’s tighter control of dissent.
