China Trial against organizers of the Tiananmen vigils in Hong Kong
The trial of three leading pro-democracy activists for organizing the annual Tiananmen vigils to commemorate the bloody crackdown on the Beijing Democracy Movement in 1989 has begun in Hong Kong. Chow Hang-tung, Lee Cheuk-yan and Albert Ho are charged with incitement to subversion under the National Security Law. If convicted, they face a prison sentence of up to ten years.
22.01.2026, 07:23
22.01.2026, 07:24
SDA
According to media reports, former politician Albert Ho is to plead guilty. The trial at West Kowloon Magistrate Court is scheduled to last 75 days.
Human Rights Watch: Beijing is trying to rewrite the truth
"Today's trial is another attempt by the Chinese authorities to rewrite the truth about the Tiananmen massacre," said Elaine Pearson, Asia Director of the human rights organization Human Rights Watch. She called on the Hong Kong government to release the defendants.
The Tiananmen vigils in Hong Kong were the only public event on Chinese soil to commemorate the bloody suppression of the Chinese democracy movement in 1989. In mainland China, the topic is practically completely censored - and appears neither in media reports nor in official history books.
After the central government in Beijing enforced a national security law for Hong Kong in the summer of 2020, the Tiananmen vigil was stopped by the government. The former British crown colony's security law is directed against pro-democracy opposition and activities that Beijing considers subversive, separatist, terrorist or conspiratorial.
