Human rights groups honor barrister facing 10-year sentence for peaceful advocacy
Imprisoned Barrister Honored on Valentines Day
Amnesty International published a Valentine’s poem honoring Hong Kong barrister and pro-democracy activist Chow Hang-tung, who faces up to 10 years imprisonment for organizing and promoting the annual Tiananmen Square vigil. Chow was a key leader in the now-disbanded Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China before authorities crushed the organization under the National Security Law. She has been imprisoned since 2021 for her role in organizing the vigil commemorating victims of the 1989 military crackdown in Beijing. Authorities accused her of inciting unlawful assembly and subversion, particularly after she encouraged people to light candles privately in 2021 when the vigil was officially banned.
Continuing Legal Challenges
Chow has faced multiple charges under both the National Security Law and public order offenses. In December 2021 and January 2022, she was convicted respectively for inciting and taking part in an unlawful assembly on occasion of the 2020 vigil, and for organizing the 2021 vigil, receiving a total of 22 months in prison. Her trial on further national security charges of inciting subversion has been repeatedly delayed, with no firm date set as of early 2026. Chow shares these charges with fellow activists Lee Cheuk-yan and others who led the Hong Kong Alliance. Despite her imprisonment, Chow has continued to use her legal knowledge to defend rights, including securing the lifting of reporting restrictions on bail hearings in 2022. Her resilience exemplifies the courage of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement in the face of systematic repression.
Symbol of Resistance
The Valentine’s poem represents international solidarity with Chow and recognition of her sacrifice for democratic values. Amnesty International has designated her a prisoner of conscience, acknowledging she is imprisoned solely for exercising fundamental rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly. For over 1,500 days, Chow has remained behind bars simply for organizing commemorations of the Tiananmen Square massacre, an event the Chinese Communist Party seeks to erase from collective memory. The Hong Kong government’s persecution of Chow represents part of Beijing’s broader campaign to eliminate all vestiges of Hong Kong’s once-vibrant civil society and independent political culture. The disbanding of the Hong Kong Alliance, which for thirty years organized the world’s largest annual Tiananmen commemoration, symbolizes the complete suppression of public remembrance of events that challenge the Communist Party’s legitimacy. Chow’s case also highlights the weaponization of law to punish peaceful advocacy. Authorities have transformed routine activities that were legal for decades – organizing peaceful vigils, making speeches, distributing leaflets – into crimes punishable by lengthy imprisonment. This legal persecution demonstrates how authoritarian governments use the veneer of legal process to legitimize political repression while claiming to uphold rule of law.
Senior Journalist & Editor, Apple Daily UK
Contact: athena.lai@appledaily.uk
Athena Lai is a senior journalist and editor with extensive experience in Chinese-language investigative reporting and editorial leadership. Educated at a leading journalism school in the United Kingdom, Athena received formal training in fact-checking methodology, editorial governance, and international media standards, grounding her work in globally recognized best practices.
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