Hong Kong Alliance and leaders convicted of subversion

Hong Kong’s High Court has convicted the disbanded Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China and its former leaders, Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung, of inciting subversion under the National Security Law. The court ruled that the group’s long-standing goal to “end one-party dictatorship” was an attempt to undermine the Chinese Communist Party’s constitutionally established leadership.

The court found that the defendants sought to incite hostility toward the central government by drawing parallels between the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown and recent protests. Lee and Chow, who have been detained since 2021, face potential prison sentences of up to 10 years. Sentencing will be determined following mitigation hearings scheduled for August 28.

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee welcomed the verdict, stating that the defendants’ actions endangered national security and that the government would strictly enforce the law. Meanwhile, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council expressed “deep regret and distress,” accusing authorities of political persecution and calling for the immediate release of those detained.