Jurist Hong Kong authorities criticized for prosecuting Tiananmen crackdown commemorators

[Dadparvar]

Amnesty International released a statement Thursday as a trial begins for activists who organized an annual vigil commemorating the protestors who were killed in the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown. The rights organization reports that this is an escalation of Hong Kong authorities’ “weaponization” of national security laws to repress dissent.

The two activists are Chow Hang-tung and Lee Cheuk-yan, who were part of the now dissolved Hong Kong Alliance. Chow is a human rights lawyer, who defended activists targeted by the National Security Law prior to becoming a target herself. Lee is a trade unionist, former chairman of the labor party and former legislator, who dedicated four decades to advocating workers’ rights and democratic movements. Other reports indicate that Albert Ho Chun-yan stands trial with them. Albert is a lawyer and former legislator, and he was a founding member of the Alliance. All three defendants are charged with “inciting subversion” and face up to 10 years imprisonment.

Sarah Brooks, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director expressed the organization’s condemnation of the trial, saying:

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. Chow and Lee’s principle ‘crime’ has been to seek truth and justice for the protestors shot dead by Chinese troops and for the families left grieving. This cynical case against them is a clear illustration of how the Hong Kong government uses vague and overly broad national security laws as tools of repression.

The activists’ trial is expected to last 75 days and is presided over by three government-vetted judges. The judges have said they will not permit the trial to “become a tool of political suppression in the name of the law.” However, the National Security Law has a near-100% conviction rate.

Amnesty International urges Hong Kong authorities to drop all charges against activists exercising the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, and to repeal the National Security Law. The Network of Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) expresses the same concerns and demands, and has made submissions to the UN about arbitrary detention. Angeli Datt, research and advocacy coordinator, made a statement on behalf of CHRD, stating:

Organizing a candlelight vigil to call for justice for victims of a massacre and democracy in China is not a threat to national security – it is a form of expression and assembly guaranteed by international human rights law. This trial is a sham, designed to make repression appear legitimate. If Hong Kong authorities actually follow the law, their only recourse is to drop all charges and immediately release the three organizers.

The Tiananmen Square incident began when people gathered in Beijing in April 1989 to mourn the death of the liberal Communist Party leader and find solidarity in frustration at a lack of promised government reform. This gathering transformed into peaceful protests across China, made up of mostly students who called for political and economic reform to put an end to corruption. In May 1989, martial law was declared, and on June 4, thousands of armed troops and vehicles were sent to forcibly clear the streets. Giving no warning, troops opened fire on the crowds and began crushing protestors with military vehicles. After the crackdown, survivors were tracked down for detention or execution. There is no official death toll for this incident and public discussion of it is banned in China. The present trial follows a pattern of security measures surrounding commemoration of the event.

Hong Kong’s legal and political systems have come under fire from critics in recent years due to a shift towards mainland China. Several foreign judges in Hong Kong resigned in 2024 amid concerns that their participation in Hong Kong’s courts could legitimize attacks on civil liberties.

The post Hong Kong authorities criticized for prosecuting Tiananmen crackdown commemorators appeared first on JURIST - News.

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