Hong Kong Tiananmen vigil activists found guilty of inciting subversion

A Hong Kong court found on Aug 21 two activists, who organised annual vigils marking China's deadly Tiananmen crackdown in 1989, guilty of "incitement to subversion".



Lee Cheuk-yan, 69, and Chow Hang-tung, 41, "incited other persons to organise, plan, commit or participate in acts by unlawful means with a view to subverting the state power", a press summary handed out to reporters said.



A three-judge panel said they found both defendants had committed acts that constituted "overthrowing or undermining the basic system... established by the Constitution" of China.



They face a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail, with sentencing expected at a later date.



Lee and Chow were charged with subversion crimes in 2021 and have been behind bars since, under a Beijing-imposed national security law.



On Aug 21, they sat silently in the dock as the judges returned their verdict.



Hong Kong and Macau used to be the only places on Chinese soil that permitted public vigils to mourn those who died on June 4, 1989, when Beijing sent troops and tanks to crush protests calling for political reform in and around the capital's Tiananmen Square.