A landmark trial targeting the last organisers of Hong Kong’s Tiananmen vigils opened on Thursday, turning what was once a citywide act of remembrance into a courtroom offence.
Chow Hang-tung, Albert Ho and Lee Cheuk-yan, former leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China — stand accused of “inciting subversion of state power” before Hong Kong’s High Court.
The charges stem from their role in organising annual candlelight vigils commemorating the June 4, 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, events that for decades set Hong Kong apart from the rest of China. Those vigils have been banned since 2020, the year Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law following mass pro-democracy protests.
As the three entered the courtroom, the mood was quietly defiant. Lee waved to supporters, who waved back and wished him “good morning”. Ho sat calmly. Chow bowed and thanked supporters for enduring the cold and overnight winds outside the court.
Minutes later, Chow and Lee pleaded not guilty. Ho entered a guilty plea.
Roughly 70 people queued early in the cold to secure seats in the public gallery, while dozens of police officers were stationed around the court — a stark contrast to the candlelit crowds that once filled Victoria Park each June.
Rights groups say the case is less about security than about erasing memory.
“This case is not about national security – it is about rewriting history and punishing those who refuse to forget the victims of the Tiananmen crackdown,” said Sarah Brooks, Amnesty International’s deputy regional director for Asia.
Angeli Datt, research and advocacy coordinator at the Network of Chinese Human Rights Defenders, went further, calling the proceedings a “sham”.
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