Hong Kong’s top court rules in favour of Tiananmen vigil trio in nat. security case
Hong Kong Free Press
Hong Kong’s top court has ruled in favour of three Tiananmen vigil activists after they appealed against their convictions over failing to assist with a national security investigation.
Five Court of Final Appeal judges on Thursday unanimously ruled in favour of Chow Hang-tung, Tang Ngok-kwan, and Tsui Hon-kwong – all from the now-disbanded Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China.
The trio were sentenced to four and a half months in jail in 2023 for failing to comply with a police demand for data. All had previously completed their prison terms while Chow is behind bars awaiting a separate subversion case against the alliance, in which she faces life imprisonment.
Upon hearing the verdict on Thursday, Chow raised a victory sign as she was led away by corrections officers. Members of the public clapped lightly and said congratulations to her.
During the trial and appeals at lower courts, heavily redacted information was presented as evidence alleging that the Alliance had acted as a “foreign agent.”
The trio rejected the categorisation and argued that the withholding of such information had denied them a fair trial, as even they could not see the unredacted evidence.
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.
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