Three High Court judges in Hong Kong ruled Friday that former Tiananmen vigil leaders Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung have a case to answer on subversion charges, finding evidence they incited others to overthrow Communist Party leadership. This follows January pleas where co-defendant Albert Ho admitted guilt while the pair denied charges. The judges rejected a prosecution claim about unchanging party leadership as superficial.
Three High Court judges at West Kowloon Court ruled on Friday that evidence supports subversion charges against Lee Cheuk-yan, 69, former chairman, and Chow Hang-tung, 41, former vice-chairwoman of the now-disbanded Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, organizers of the city's annual Tiananmen Square vigil.
Prosecutors alleged that from July 2020 to the group's dissolution in September 2021, the leaders promoted ending 'one-party dictatorship'—one of the alliance's objectives—inciting overthrow of Communist Party leadership. The judges upheld this evidence in the national security law case, tied to 'one country, two systems' and the Basic Law.
They rejected the prosecution's argument that the party's leadership cannot change under China's constitution, deeming it superficial.
This ruling advances the trial following earlier proceedings where lawyer Albert Ho Chun-yan, former vice-chairman, pleaded guilty to incitement in January, facing up to 10 years. Lee and Chow denied charges then and will now stand trial with other defendants.
