Hong Kong Activists' Appeal Against Conviction Dismissed

A Hong Kong court has upheld the conviction of three activists for refusing to provide information under the national security law, marking a continued crackdown on dissent.

• Three former organizers of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China lost their appeal against convictions for not providing information under the national security law.
• The activists were sentenced to 4 1/2 months in jail last year, as part of a broader crackdown on dissent following pro-democracy protests in 2019.
• The court ruled that police do not need to prove a group is a foreign agent before demanding information, granting wide investigative powers under the national security law.
• Critics argue the shutdown of the alliance, known for organizing Tiananmen Square vigil, reflects shrinking civil liberties in Hong Kong.
• The annual vigil was the only large-scale public commemoration of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown on Chinese soil for decades, banned in 2020 citing anti-pandemic measures.

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