HONG KONG — A contentious landmark Tiananmen vigil trial opened Thursday at the High Court, with former lawmakers Chow Hang-tung and Lee Cheuk-yan pleading not guilty to inciting subversion and co-defendant Albert Ho pleading guilty under the Beijing-imposed national security law. Prosecutors say the case turns on whether the group’s public campaign — including calls to “end one-party rule” in China — illegally encouraged acts aimed at undermining state power, Jan. 22, 2026.
Tiananmen vigil trial raises stakes for speech and remembrance
The defendants were leading figures of the now-disbanded Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, the group that for decades organised the city’s annual June 4 candlelight vigil to remember those killed in the 1989 crackdown in and around Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. The hearing is being heard without a jury by a panel of three designated national security judges and is expected to last about 75 days. If convicted, the defendants could face up to 10 years in prison, according to AP News.
In the Tiananmen vigil trial, prosecutors framed the alliance’s slogan of “ending one-party rule” as a central issue, arguing it amounted to incitement to subvert China’s system of government. Lawyers for the defendants have said the alliance sought democratic reform and public remembrance rather than overthrow. Prosecutors contend the group used commemorations, public messaging and documentation of the crackdown to promote subversion, Reuters reported.
Outside court, former alliance member Tang Ngok-kwan called the proceedings “a test of free speech” and said, “Justice resides in the hearts of the people, and history will bear witness.” Supporters queued in cold weather to attend the opening session, while police were deployed around the court building.
Rights groups criticised the prosecution as an attempt to criminalise remembrance. Amnesty International’s Asia deputy director, Sarah Brooks, said, “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.” Amnesty has also argued that lengthy pretrial detention in the case undermines fair-trial rights, including in a statement in October 2025. The Hong Kong government has said national security enforcement actions are evidence-based and carried out in accordance with the law.
For readers following the Tiananmen vigil trial through the courts, Hong Kong’s government maintains an online annotations portal for the national security law that compiles provisions and related materials.
Background: a tightening arc around June 4 commemorations
Police first barred the Victoria Park vigil in 2020, and the event was banned again in 2021 with officials citing coronavirus restrictions, a decision recorded in a Reuters report from May 2021. As pressure grew, investigators targeted the alliance and froze assets. The group ultimately voted to disband that September as the national security investigation intensified, according to a September 2021 Reuters report.
Memorial symbols tied to the commemoration have also been removed from public spaces. In late 2021, the University of Hong Kong removed the “Pillar of Shame,” a long-standing memorial sculpture, an episode covered by Al Jazeera. Supporters say the Tiananmen vigil trial reflects a wider effort to narrow public commemoration; Beijing and local officials say the national security law was necessary after the 2019 pro-democracy protests.
The Tiananmen vigil trial is scheduled to continue in coming weeks as prosecutors begin presenting evidence against Lee and Chow, while Ho’s guilty plea could later factor into sentencing.
