What to know about the trial of former Tiananmen vigil organizers before a verdict

What to know about the trial of former Tiananmen vigil organizers before a verdict 1 of 5 | Tens of thousands of people attend a candlelight vigil to mark the 25th anniversary of Beijing’s June 4th Chinese military crackdown on the pro-democracy movement at Victoria Park in Hong Kong on June 4, 2014. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu, File) 2 of 5 | Thousands of people attend a candlelight vigil for victims of the Beijing’s 1989 brutal military crackdown on protesters at Victoria Park in Hong Kong, on June 4, 2019. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File) 3 of 5 | A man looks at a photo, believed to be taken by a former People’s Liberation Army soldier during Beijing’s June 4, 1989 Chinese military crackdown on the pro-democracy movement displayed in Hong Kong on June 4, 2012. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu, File) 4 of 5 | In this two photo combination image, at top thousands of people attend the annual candlelight vigil in Hong Kong’s Victoria Park, June 4, 2019 to mark the anniversary of the military crackdown on the 1989 pro-democracy student movement in Beijing, and bottom shows the same venue taken over by a carnival organized by pro-Beijing groups to mark the city’s 1997 handover to China on the 34th anniversary of the crackdown, June 4, 2023. (AP Photo, File) 5 of 5 | Police officers patrol an empty Hong Kong Victoria Park where in past years tens of thousands used to hold a vigil to commemorate the June 4, 1989 military crackdown in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square against a pro-democracy student movement, Friday, June 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu, File) By KANIS LEUNG Updated 3:15 AM MESZ, August 20, 2026 Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Hong Kong (AP) — A verdict is expected Friday in the case of two organizers of an annual Hong Kong vigil to remember the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown who are being tried under a China-imposed national security law that has stifled Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement. Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung, former leaders of the China" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="16309" data-entity-type="organization">Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, were charged in September 2021 with inciting subversion and face a maximum jail term of 10 years if convicted. The activists pleaded not guilty when their trial opened in January and are expected to appear in court Friday. If convicted by three government-approved judges, they likely will be sentenced at a later date. For three decades, the now-disbanded alliance organized the only large-scale, public commemoration in China that attracted tens of thousands annually until the event was banned in 2020 following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. Observers say the activists’ prosecution and the disappearance of the vigil symbolized the loss of freedoms that Beijing promised to maintain for 50 years when the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997. The government said its law enforcement actions were evidence-based and strictly in accordance with the law. Pair organized China’s only large-scale memorial for massacre The 1989 pro-democracy protests in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square were one of the biggest challenges to the Communist Party’s rule in China. The government sent tanks into the heart of the capital city and troops opened fire on the student-led demonstrations in a bloody crackdown that killed hundreds, possibly thousands. Macao’s first national security case raises concerns over fairness a year after arrest 5 MIN READ Hong Kong democracy activist allowed to stay in UK for 6 months after immigration trouble 1 MIN READ A Hong Kong democracy activist’s long-awaited London reunion may be cut short 1 MIN READ The event immediately became an official taboo in mainland China. But the alliance held annual vigils in Hong Kong to keep memories alive across the border until authorities banned the public remembrances during the pandemic, citing risks to public health. Weeks after the ban, Beijing imposed the national security law that was later used to prosecute Lee, the alliance’s former chairperson, and Chow, a former vice chair. Authorities deemed the legislation crucial for Hong Kong’s stability following anti-government protests in 2019. The alliance voted to disband in the same month as the pair was charged. Beijing-imposed security law used to charge activists Many other leading activists are now also jailed under the 2020 law, including the pro-democracy former media tycoon Jimmy Lai. Dozens of other civil society groups also disbanded following its introduction. In the Lee and Chow trial, prosecutors argued they incited others to use unlawful means to topple China’s fundamental system and central political bodies, including inciting the overthrow of the Communist Party’s leadership through calls for “ending one-party rule,” which was one of the alliance’s core demands. The defense denied they meant to end the party’s leadership, arguing the slogan was about moving toward democracy and urging the party not to enforce “dictatorship.” It insisted the alliance had not asked people to adopt any illegal means. Chow, a barrister who defended herself, cautioned that if the court fails to gatekeep over the reasonable effects of their statements, it could easily become an accomplice by tolerating the crimes committed by those in power. Albert Ho, their co-defendant and former vigil organizer, earlier entered a guilty plea in a move that typically results in a reduced sentence. His sentencing is pending. Observers say trial is a bellwether for city’s civil rights The government earlier said all accused have the right to a fair trial and the courts exercise their power independently. But critics consider this case and its result a litmus test of Hong Kong’s civil rights and judicial independence. The existence of the alliance and the city’s annual vigil have been considered key characteristics of Hong Kong under China’s “one country, two systems” governing framework in the past, said Eric Lai, a senior fellow with the Georgetown Center for Asian Law. They were symbols of the city’s autonomy, Lai said. He noted the charge of inciting subversion was commonly used in mainland China to criminalize the acts of human rights lawyers, activists and intellectuals, including late Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo. “We can see to what extent the court in Hong Kong falls into the level of the party-led judiciary in the mainland through the criminal verdict,” Lai said. KANIS LEUNG Leung covers Hong Kong, Macao and mainland China for The Associated Press. She is based in Hong Kong. twitter