Hong Kong Convicts Two Tiananmen Vigil Organisers In Security Case

A Hong Kong court has convicted two organisers of the city's former Tiananmen Square vigils in a national security case, finding them guilty of inciting subversion, Reuters reported.

The defendants, part of the now-disbanded Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, were convicted over activities linked to the group and its long-running campaign to commemorate the victims of China's 1989 Tiananmen crackdown.

The Hong Kong Alliance had organised annual candlelight vigils marking the June 4 anniversary for decades. The authorities banned the public vigils in 2020, citing COVID-19 restrictions, and they did not return after Hong Kong's national security law came into force in 2020.

National Security Case

Prosecutors accused the organisers of using the Alliance to promote opposition to China's political system and undermine national security.

The defendants denied the charges. The case is one of several involving Hong Kong activists prosecuted under the city's national security framework, which criminalises offences including secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces.

The convictions reinforce the disappearance of one of Hong Kong's most prominent forms of public remembrance of the 1989 crackdown.

End Of The Vigils

For decades, Hong Kong was the only Chinese-controlled territory where large public commemorations of the Tiananmen crackdown were held annually.

The Alliance disbanded in 2021 after police demanded information under the national security law and accused it of being a "foreign agent". Its leaders and organisers subsequently faced prosecution.

The latest case further illustrates the shrinking space for political dissent and public commemoration in Hong Kong since the introduction of the national security law.

The convictions come as authorities continue to prosecute prominent activists and dismantle organisations associated with Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement.