"Hong Kong used to host yearly candlelight vigils to mark Beijing's deadly crackdown on demonstrators in Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989, but those events have been banned since 2020. That year, Beijing imposed a national security law on the former British colony in the wake of huge, sometimes violent pro-democracy protests. Rights groups and some foreign governments have criticised cases brought against prominent pro-democracy figures under the law as a weaponisation of the rule of law to silence dissent."
"This case is not about national security it is about rewriting history and punishing those who refuse to forget the victims of the Tiananmen crackdown, said Sarah Brooks, Amnesty International's deputy regional director, Asia. Angeli Datt, research and advocacy coordinator at the Network of Chinese Human Rights Defenders, condemned the trial as a sham. If Hong Kong authorities actually follow the law, their only recourse is to drop all charges and immediately release the three organisers, Datt said in a statement."
"As they entered the courtroom on Thursday, Lee waved at his supporters, who waved back and said good morning to him. Ho sat calmly, and Chow thanked her supporters for enduring the winds during the night and bowed to them. Minutes later, Lee and Chow pleaded not guilty, while Ho entered a guilty plea. About 70 people queued in the cold on Thursday morning for the public gallery, while dozens of police were deployed around the court."
A landmark trial opened in Hong Kong against Chow Hang-tung, Albert Ho and Lee Cheuk-yan, charged with inciting subversion for organising Tiananmen Square vigils. The three are former leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China and face the case in the territory's High Court. Two defendants pleaded not guilty and one pleaded guilty. Public interest was visible with people queuing in cold weather and police deployed around the court. Vigils have been banned since 2020 after Beijing imposed a national security law criticized for being used to silence dissent. Rights groups condemned the prosecutions and called for charges to be dropped.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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