Tiananmen Square vigil group in Hong Kong ‘cared about China’, former organiser tells court
- Tiananmen Square crackdown vigil organiser tells court group supported democracy for mainland China through non-violent means
- Chow Hang-tung, an organiser of the annual Tiananmen Square crackdown vigil, denies subversion charge
The alliance behind Hong Kong’s annual Tiananmen Square vigil fostered love for mainland China and did not incite hatred of the country’s Communist Party, a former leader of the group has told a court hearing set up to examine the strength of evidence for subversion charges.
Chow Hang-tung, who was vice-chairwoman of the now-disbanded Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, said on Friday the organisation had backed political change north of the border using non-violent means and denied prosecution claims that the group had encouraged revolt against the central power in Beijing.
“It is impossible to plead guilty. It is not a sin to pursue democracy. I plead not guilty,” she told the court when asked to enter a plea at West Kowloon Court.
Chow, 37, was speaking at a preliminary inquiry in a bid to block her case’s transfer to the High Court for trial.
The alliance, which dissolved last year, Chow, former leaders Lee Cheuk-yan and Albert Ho Chun-yan are jointly charged with inciting subversion and of calling for the “overthrowing or undermining the basic system of the People’s Republic of China” established by the constitution, or “overthrowing the body of central power of the People’s Republic of China”.
The offence is alleged to have taken place between July 1, 2020, one day after the Beijing-decreed national security law came into force, and September 8 last year.
Chow asked for a preliminary inquiry, where a magistrate decides if there is a good enough case against a defendant before prosecution can continue, and won a judicial review in the High Court last month to lift reporting restrictions on the proceedings.
