Hong Kong to hold national security trial over Tiananmen vigil organisers

Three Hong Kong activists have begun their trial in the territory’s High Court, facing charges related to organizing vigils marking China’s Tiananmen Square massacre. Chow Hang-tung, Albert Ho, and Lee Cheuk-yan, former leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, are accused of “inciting subversion of state power.” The trial is expected to last 75 days.

The three activists entered the courtroom on Thursday, with Lee waving at his supporters before pleading not guilty. Ho entered a guilty plea, while Chow also pleaded not guilty. About 70 people attended the public gallery, while dozens of police were deployed around the court.

In 2020, Beijing imposed a national security law on Hong Kong, which has been criticized by rights groups and some foreign governments as being used to silence dissent. The law was introduced in response to pro-democracy protests in 2019, which drew hundreds of thousands of people onto the streets.

The trial is based on evidence related to the alliance’s years of work, including videos from their candlelight vigils in Victoria Park every June 4. The Hong Kong Alliance was founded in May 1989 to support protesters holding democracy and anticorruption rallies in Beijing.

Three government-vetted judges will preside over the trial. In a preliminary ruling, the court dismissed an application by Chow to throw out the case, stating that it would not allow the trial to become a “tool for political suppression.” The trial follows last month’s conviction of media tycoon Jimmy Lai, who was found guilty of conspiring to commit foreign collusion.

The Hong Kong Alliance has been calling on Beijing to accept responsibility for its actions in Tiananmen Square since 1989. The organization’s candlelight vigils drew thousands every June 4 until they were banned in 2020.

Source: Al Jazeera