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Security Trial of Hong Kong’s Tiananmen Vigil Leaders Opens With Split Pleas

Prosecutors argue the alliance’s call to end one‑party rule constitutes incitement under Beijing’s 2020 national security law.

Overview

  • Former alliance leaders Chow Hang‑tung and Lee Cheuk‑yan pleaded not guilty as Albert Ho admitted the charge at the High Court opening on Jan. 22.
  • The three face up to 10 years for allegedly inciting subversion, with a designated three‑judge panel set to hear the roughly 75‑day case without a jury.
  • On Jan. 23, Chow told the court the slogan targeted one‑party dictatorship and sought democratic reform, countering prosecutors’ reading.
  • Prosecutors plan to present company records, online material, video clips of speeches, and items seized from the alliance’s Tiananmen museum as evidence.
  • Rights groups criticized the case as an effort to rewrite or erase the Tiananmen memory, while authorities say enforcement is evidence‑based and lawful.