Not unexpectedly, bad news came on August 21 from Hong Kong that Chow Hang-Tung and Lee Cheuk-Yan were found guilty of inciting subversion of state power under the National Security Law by 3 designated NSL judges. Albert Ho already pleaded guilty at the beginning of the trial. All three have been in pre-trial custody for over four years.
TADC has issued a statement condemning the verdict on the day of verdict announcement, and accepted media interview. (See Pulse HK article and video in Chinese.) The court’s ruling about calling to “end one-party rule” being against the Chinese constitution is a complete nonsense. Advocating a change in the constitution is never a crime.
Tens of thousands of Hongkongers joined the candlelight vigil in Victoria Park every year until it was forced to cease in 2020. This ruling effective incriminates all of those who have attended over those 30 years.
Chow’s mitigation submission to the judges on Aug 28 has 16 Chinese words only, translated as
Upon a sea of candlelight,
The waves of human hearts surge high,
Unbowed and shattered wide, storming the shores,
Until the dawn of justice wakes.
Her verbal mitigation at the court was interjected often by the judges. At the end, she said decisively, “if the law truly cannot accommodate our beliefs, then I would rather be a criminal than a person who betrays their conscience.” Her entire mitigation can be found at her Patreon post. Lee and Ho were represented by their lawyer, asking for sentencing terms no more than what they have already been in custody. We are waiting to learn about their sentences and if they will appeal the rulings.
TADC, together with you, will continue to call for “end one-party rule” to “build a democratic China.”
