Organizers of Hong Kong’s Tiananmen vigils sentenced to up to 7 years and 3 months in national security case, tell me about this news in (https://www.nbcnews.com/world/asia/organizers-hong-kong-tiananmen-vigils-sentenced-rcna596550)

A Hong Kong court has sentenced three prominent pro-democracy activists who led the now-defunct Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China to prison terms of up to 7 years and 3 months in a major national security case. Hong Kong WatchKey details of the case and ruling:

• The Defendants and Sentences: Barrister and activist Chow Hang-tung was sentenced to 7 years and 3 months in prison. Former lawmaker and trade union leader Lee Cheuk-yan received a 7-year sentence. Both Chow and Lee had pleaded not guilty and contested the charges at trial. Former lawmaker Albert Ho Chun-yan, who had pleaded guilty at the beginning of proceedings, was sentenced to 5 years and 2 months. Hong Kong Watch+ 1
• The Charges: The three leaders, along with the Alliance as an organization, were convicted of “inciting subversion of state power” under the Beijing-imposed National Security Law enacted in 2020. Fine Day Radio 102.3 WNJD
• The Core Allegation: Prosecutors and government-designated national security judges centered the subversion charges on the Alliance’s long-standing operational manifesto, specifically its core slogan to “end one-party dictatorship”. The court ruled that advocating for the end of Chinese Communist Party leadership through unlawful means constituted incitement to subvert the constitutional order established under Chinese law. Fine Day Radio 102.3 WNJD+ 1
• The Defense: The defendants argued that their long-standing advocacy was peaceful, aimed at establishing democratic rights, freedom of speech, and government accountability, and did not incite violence or illegal overthrows. Chow Hang-tung, who represented herself, maintained that pursuing democracy is not a crime. Fine Day Radio 102.3 WNJD+ 1
• Context and Significance: For three decades, the Hong Kong Alliance organized the annual June 4 candlelight vigil in Victoria Park, drawing tens of thousands to commemorate the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square military crackdown. It was the only major public commemoration of the event allowed on Chinese soil. Authorities began banning the vigils in 2020, and the group disbanded in 2021 under intense political and legal pressure. Human rights advocates and legal observers view the severe sentences as another defining milestone in the dismantling of Hong Kong’s civil society, freedom of speech, and political opposition under the national security legal regime. PBS+ 2