‘People will be shocked and angry’: Relatives, friends of jailed Tiananmen activists decry ‘unjust’ sentences

Relatives of three Tiananmen vigil activists sentenced on Friday for inciting subversion have decried their years-long prison terms as “totally unjust,” and have said that two of the defendants will appeal.

Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung, leaders of the now-defunct Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, were handed jail terms of seven years and seven years and three months, respectively. Fellow Alliance leader Albert Ho, the only one of the trio to plead guilty, received a sentence of five years and two months.

The Alliance, which was also convicted and fined HK$1.5 million, held annual vigils to remember China’s 1989 Tiananmen crackdown.

Lee’s wife, Elizabeth Tang, told reporters outside the West Kowloon Law Courts Building that the sentence, delivered by a panel of designated national security judges, was “unacceptable.”

“It’s a sad day for me as his wife,” Tang said in Cantonese. “Lee has been [in prison] since April 16, 2021. I cannot imagine that he has to spend another three years in jail.”

“People will be shocked and angry,” she added. “Millions of people were there in Victoria Park [for the vigil].”

Tang said Chow and Lee intend to launch an appeal against their convictions and sentences.

The Tiananmen crackdown occurred on June 4, 1989, ending months of student-led demonstrations in China. It is estimated that hundreds, perhaps thousands, died when the People’s Liberation Army cracked down on protesters in Beijing.

June 4th memories ‘reopened’

Chow Hang-tung’s mother, who declined to give her name to press, said on Friday that her daughter was proud to represent herself in court.

“She once said: ‘It feels great, I can finally take off my barrister’s robe and speak the truth freely on my own behalf’,” Chow’s mother recalled her daughter saying.

“I don’t know whether I should thank those who dragged her to the dock,” Chow’s mother said. “Thanks to them, the memories of June 4th were reopened. Thanks to them, the truth of June 4th and everything that has happened in Hong Kong over these years has been entered into Hong Kong court records.”

The Tiananmen crackdown occurred on June 4, 1989, ending months of student-led demonstrations in China. It is estimated that hundreds, perhaps thousands, died when the People’s Liberation Army cracked down on protesters in Beijing.

Chow’s mother thanked legal professionals for “walking alongside us against the wind,” telling them: “You don’t need to feel too sad or discouraged by today’s verdict, and even less should you feel any guilt… Everyone, please take good care and live your lives well.”

‘Not even for a single day’

“They shouldn’t be in prison at all – not even for a single day,” Lau Ka Yee, an activist and friend of Chow’s, said in Cantonese. “It wasn’t just the Alliance speaking out: every single person who lit a candle, millions of Hongkongers and friends overseas, have all persisted in speaking out.”

Lau also expressed hope that the Correctional Services Department will implement better measures for heat reduction in prison, in light of record-breaking temperatures this summer.

Friday’s ruling said that the present case did not involve violence or the threat of violence, “nor had the defendant put forward any specific means of implementation or timetable” to end one-party rule in mainland China – one of the Alliance’s central tenets. Nevertheless, the court still found that the offence was “of a serious nature.”

That placed the defendants within the higher of the two sentencing bands under the Beijing-imposed national security law, with sentences ranging from five to 10 years, it added.

‘Police will be watching closely’

After Friday’s sentencing, which lasted a little more than 10 minutes, Senior Superintendent Steve Li of the police force’s National Security Department spoke to the press.

“From the sentences handed down to the three, it can be seen that they are responsible for extremely serious offences,” Li said. “It was to be expected that Chow Hang-tung, who showed no remorse and was obstinate to the end, received the heaviest sentence.”

Li also addressed a reporter’s question as to whether commemorating the Tiananmen crackdown violated the law.

“We can see from the trial that vigils can be used for the purposes of incitement,” he said. “Organisers must be very wary… If public assemblies or marches are involved, the police will be watching closely.”

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