ince September 2021, authorities have detained Hong Kong activists Chow Hang-tung and Lee Cheuk-yan on charges of “inciting subversion of state power.” Their so-called crime: commemorating the Tiananmen crackdown. The court has set their trial for January 2026 — after over 4 years of detention without bail, they face up to 10 years’ imprisonment. Sign the petition—demand their immediate release.
What’s the problem?
In January 2026, Hong Kong courts will try Hong Kong Alliance Vice-Chairperson Chow Hang-tung and Chairperson Lee Cheuk-yan on charges of “inciting subversion of state power” under the National Security Law (NSL), which criminalizes legitimate expression in the name of national security. The rule of law has been fatally undermined and criminal charges are now used to target dissent and silence truth.
For more than three decades, the Hong Kong Alliance organized the world’s largest candlelight vigil in Hong Kong to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown, where Chinese troops opened fire on students and workers who had been peacefully protesting for political reforms. After authorities imposed and aggressively implemented the NSL, they began attacking the activities to commemorate the 1989 crackdown. In the weeks following Chow’s and Lee’s arrest, the Hong Kong Alliance was compelled to shut down in 2021.
Chow and Lee have been unjustly detained for almost 1,600 days solely for exercising their rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly. Courts have repeatedly denied them bail, and officials have postponed their trial twice. The newly scheduled trial date of 22 January 2026 comes 52 months after their initial arrest. Both Chow and Lee have consistently maintained their innocence in the lead-up to their trial. Their legitimate calls to Chinese authorities to disclose the truth about the Tiananmen crackdown – and their roles in the Hong Kong Alliance – should never have been used as grounds for prosecution.