Two leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance, Lee Cheuk-yan, 69, and Chow Hang-tung, 41, were convicted on Friday of incitement to subversion under the national security law. They face potential sentences of up to 10 years in jail.
The convictions relate to their organisation of the annual Tiananmen vigil. A third defendant, 74-year-old former legislator Albert Ho, pleaded guilty in January. All three have been imprisoned since their arrests in 2021.
The court ruled that the Hong Kong Alliance's stated aim to “end one-party dictatorship” constituted using unlawful means to overthrow the Chinese government. This ruling was made despite the court acknowledging that the group never used or advocated violence, nor did it outline a path to its goal.