Hong Kong prosecutors say case against anti-China activists not a political trial

South China Morning PostCenter-RightEN 1 min read 100% complete by Brian WongJanuary 26, 2026 at 11:24 AM

AI Summary

short article 1 min

Hong Kong prosecutors are arguing in court that the national security trial against the now-disbanded Hong Kong Alliance, and its leaders Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung, is not politically motivated. The trial, taking place at West Kowloon Court, centers on charges of inciting subversion, stemming from the Alliance's promotion of ending "one-party dictatorship." Prosecutors claim the case focuses on the defendants' actions opposing China's constitutional order, not on adjudicating sensitive political topics like the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. They assert the trial is about the defendants' persistent acts threatening national security, not about punishing dissent or evaluating criticism against Beijing. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years under the national security law.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

China 60% June Fourth incident 60% Tiananmen Square 60% Chow Hang-tung 70% Lee Cheuk-yan 70% Beijing ×270% Ned Lai Ka-yee ×270% Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China ×290% Hong Kong 90%

Keywords

national security trial 90% hong kong 80% anti-china activists 70% political trial 70% national security law 60% inciting subversion 60% one-party dictatorship 50% tiananmen square vigil 50% pro-democracy protests 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.20

Source Transparency

Source

South China Morning Post

Political Lean

Center-Right (0.50)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

Topic Connections

Explore how the topics in this article connect to other news stories

Network visualization showing 51 related topics

View Full Graph

national security trial hong kong anti-china activists political trial national security law inciting subversion one-party dictatorship tiananmen square vigil pro-democracy protests

Explore Full Topic Graph