Two veteran Hong Kong pro‑democracy activists were convicted of inciting subversion, exposing them to a maximum ten‑year prison term and underscoring the tightening of Beijing’s national security law in the former colony after a lengthy trial.
Lee Cheuk‑yan, 69, and Chow Hang‑tung, 41, leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, were found guilty by a Hong Kong court on Aug 21, 2026. Charged in 2021 under the 2020 national security law, they were convicted of inciting others to subvert state power. The verdict follows a 24‑day trial that began in January.
The convictions signal further erosion of Hong Kong’s limited freedoms of expression and assembly, effectively ending the city’s annual Tiananmen candlelight vigil that had drawn tens of thousands. The ruling reinforces Beijing’s crackdown on dissent, raising concerns among investors about rule‑of‑law risks and the business climate in the territory.