Hong Kong court convicts two activists of subversion, third pleads guilty
A Hong Kong court convicted two pro-democracy activists of incitement to subversion; a third pleaded guilty. Sentencing is set for later.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
A Hong Kong court has convicted two pro-democracy activists of subversion under the national security law imposed by Beijing. Lee Chuk Yan and Chao Hang Tung were found guilty of incitement to subversion for their role in organising annual candlelit vigils marking the Tiananmen Square crackdown of 1989. A third defendant, Albert Ho, a former legislator, pleaded guilty to the same charge. All three will be sentenced at a later date.
The court delivered its verdict in about five minutes, handing down a 206-page written judgment. It then adjourned until 28 August for mitigation hearings, where the defendants' lawyers can argue for lighter sentences. The charge of incitement to subversion carries a maximum sentence of ten years in prison.
In the judgment, the judges said the motto "end one-party state" used by the Hong Kong Alliance, the organisation behind the vigils, bore the meaning of overthrowing the Chinese government. They also said they believed the defendants held hostility towards the Chinese Communist Party and intended to incite others to overthrow the state, even though the prosecution did not demonstrate enough evidence to prove that intention directly.
The case is part of a broader crackdown on pro-democracy figures in Hong Kong since the national security law took effect in 2020. The defendants' lawyers have said they will continue to fight the conviction.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | BBC News | BBC One |
|---|---|---|
| A third defendant, Albert Ho, pleaded guilty. | · | |
| Crafting Smiles, a Bristol crocheting group for Hong Kong emigrants, has grown to over 60 members and makes charity items such as poppies and baby hats. | · | |
| Incitement to subversion carries a maximum jail time of 10 years. | · | |
| Two pro-democracy activists were convicted of subversion under Hong Kong's national security law. | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC News focused on the court proceedings, the judge's reasoning, and the legal details of the case. It highlighted the speed of the verdict, the 206-page judgment, and the judges' interpretation of the "end one-party state" motto. The tone was factual and relied on a correspondent in Hong Kong for context.
- “the court has spent nearly five minutes to deliver the verdict”
- “the end one-party state motto that is in their organisation, the Hong Kong Alliance, bears the meaning of overthrowing the Chinese government”
- “they do intend to incite others to overthrow the state”
BBC ONE West did not report on the subversion conviction. Instead, it aired a separate human interest story about a crocheting group for Hong Kong emigrants in Bristol, focusing on community building and integration. This channel's coverage was entirely unrelated to the court case.
- “A crocheting group in Bristol for people who have emigrated to the UK from Hong Kong has grown its membership by 10 times in a year.”
- “I felt it's like being back in Hong Kong I can banter in Cantonese.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.