Overview

• Hong Kong's top court overturned the convictions of three activists who organized annual Tiananmen Square vigils, citing a miscarriage of justice.
• The activists, Chow Hang-tung, Tang Ngok-kwan, and Tsui Hon-kwong, were sentenced to 4.5 months in prison in 2023 for refusing to provide information to police under the national security law.
• Judges criticized the prosecution for failing to prove the group was a 'foreign agent' and for heavily redacting key evidence, depriving the defendants of a fair trial.
• The ruling is seen as a rare victory for pro-democracy advocates in Hong Kong, where freedoms have been increasingly curtailed under Beijing's national security law.
• Chow Hang-tung remains in custody awaiting trial on separate subversion charges that could result in a life sentence.