A Hong Kong court started hearing final arguments Monday in the national security trial of two organizers of the large vigils remembering the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.
Hong Kong for decades was the only place in China where a large-scale public commemoration of the massacre was held. The vigils were banned in 2020, and the two former organizers were charged in 2021 with inciting subversion under a Beijing-imposed national security law that has virtually stifled the city’s pro-democracy movement.
Chow Hang-tung and Lee Cheuk-yan, two former leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, have pleaded not guilty. If convicted, they could face up to 10 years in prison.
Prosecution Argues Freedom of Speech Is Not Absolute
During the trial, the prosecution focused on “ending one-party rule,” one of the alliance’s core demands, arguing that their advocacy was about inciting others to use unlawful means to overthrow the leadership of China’s ruling Communist Party. It alleged the defendants were not advocating for amending the constitution.
On Monday, prosecutor Ned Lai said freedoms of speech, assembly, and association are not absolute rights, accusing Lee and Chow of attempting to blur the focus with human rights arguments.
Defense Says No Evidence to Prove Wrongdoing
Lawyer Erik Shum, who represented Lee, said the prosecution still could not present evidence to prove what exactly the alliance had asked residents to do, even when the trial neared its end. Shum insisted the alliance had not asked people to use any illegal means over the past three decades and had not abused power.
