Politics · National security law verdictHong Kong Convicts Tiananmen Vigil Leaders, Face Up to 10 YearsAired August 21, 2026 at 6:38 PM UTCWritten September 7, 2026 at 9:22 PM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:00On August 21st, 2026, [music]0:02Hong Kong's High Court convicted two0:03organizers of the city's annual0:05Tiananmen Square candlelight vigils of0:07inciting subversion, a landmark verdict0:09[music] that turns three decades of0:11public mourning into a national security0:13crime and leaves both facing [music] up0:14to 10 years in prison with sentencing0:16still pending. The transcript rendering0:18the pair as Lee and Chow was a phonetic0:20mishearing for Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow0:22Hang-tung. A third alliance leader,0:24Albert Ho Chun-yan, pleaded guilty on0:26the same charge in January 2026. And the0:29alliance itself as an organization was0:30also convicted. All three have been0:32detained continuously since arrests and0:34charges in September 2021, nearly five0:37years of pre-trial custody before the0:38verdict. The vigils were the candlelight0:40gatherings held each June 4th at0:42Victoria Park to commemorate the 19890:44crackdown in Beijing. For 30 years they0:47drew thousands, with organizer estimates0:49reaching about 180,000 at peaks in 2012,0:522014, and 2019 [music] while police0:54estimates were consistently lower in the0:56tens of thousands. They were police0:58permitted for decades and functioned1:00most visible symbol of Hong Kong's1:01distinct freedoms, including calls to1:03end one-party rule.1:05>> [music]1:05>> They were banned from 2020, first under1:07COVID restrictions and then permanently1:09under the national security law. The1:10alliance disbanded in September 2021.1:13The conviction was delivered by Hong1:14Kong's High Court, Court of First1:16Instance, sitting at the West Kowloon1:18Law Courts Building by a panel of three1:20government-approved national security1:22judges hearing the case without a jury.1:24Trial began in January 2026 and ran1:26about 24 days. One reference identifies1:29Judge Alex Lee when discussing1:30sentencing principles, but major1:32English-language coverage does not1:33consistently name the full panel. The1:35charge is incitement to subversion of1:37state power under Article 23 of the Hong1:39Kong National Security Law, linked to1:42the offense of subversion under Article1:4322. The law imposed by Beijing on June1:4630, 2020 after the 2019 pro-democracy1:49protests, criminalizes secession,1:51subversion, terrorism, and collusion1:52with foreign forces with broad1:54definitions and severe penalties, and1:56created national security judges and1:58procedures without juries. The serious2:00tier under Article 23 carries 5 to 102:03years, framing the reported maximum of2:0510 years. Judges found that the2:06alliance's objective and repeated2:08advocacy to end one-party dictatorship2:11was intended to make others lose2:12confidence in the Communist Party and to2:14stir hostility and division. Continuing2:17that objective after the 2020 law and2:19encouraging supporters to pursue it by2:21unlawful means when the opportunity2:23arose met the incitement standard. The2:26court rejected the defense that this was2:27peaceful democratic advocacy. No2:30specific act of violence was found2:32necessary for conviction. For Lee and2:34Chow, the conviction means a criminal2:36record for subversion and imminent2:38imprisonment. After [music] almost 52:39years already in custody with the2:41difference between time served and a new2:43sentence of up to 10 years now2:44determinative.2:45>> [music]2:46>> For the city, the verdict confirms that2:47organizing, promoting, or sustaining the2:50Victoria [music] Park vigil for decades,2:51a tolerated gathering, is now2:53prosecutable as subversion. Since 2020,2:56thousands of arrests and numerous2:58[music] high-profile prosecutions under2:59the law have closed much of the3:01organized pro-democracy movement,3:03shuttered independent media, and ended3:05lawful street protests. [music]3:06The alliance convictions complete the3:08legal dismantling of the group that3:09sustained the vigils for three decades.3:12Mitigation is scheduled for about August3:1428th, 2026, with full sentencing to3:17follow on a later date the court will3:18set.3:19The court has not indicated where within3:21the 5 to 10 years serious tier Lee,3:23Chow, and Ho will fall, how time on3:25remand since September 2021 will be3:27credited, or whether additional3:29penalties will apply.3:30No appeal has been filed and grounds for3:32any appeal on law, procedure, or3:34sentence have not been stated. Whether3:36any lawful avenue remains for3:38commemorating June 4th in Hong Kong is3:40unsettled pending the sentencing3:42decision.3:43Like and follow for more stories that3:45matter.Explore with HeyDexThe shortThe short ↗