Hong Kong: Statement by the Spokesperson on the verdict in the ‘Hong Kong Alliance’ case

The conviction under the National Security Law of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China and two of its former leaders, Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung, on 21 August confirms the continuing deterioration of the freedoms of expression and assembly and a further shrinking of the space for independent civil society in Hong Kong. A third defendant, former lawmaker Albert Ho, had pleaded guilty in January.

The Hong Kong Alliance had organised the annual large-scale Tiananmen candlelight vigils in the territory, which used to draw more than a hundred thousand participants. No such commemoration has been held in Hong Kong since the imposition of the National Security Law in 2020.

 The politically motivated prosecution of the defendants, who were subject to prolonged pre-trial detention, denial of bail, and in the case of Chow Hang-tung, repeated solitary confinement, undermines confidence in the rule of law as enshrined in the Hong Kong Basic Law, a cornerstone of the city’s historic success as an international business hub.

The EU urges the authorities to maintain space for an independent civil society, ensure freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly as guaranteed by the Basic Law. The EU reiterates its call on the authorities to respect the high degree of autonomy of Hong Kong under the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ principle and international legal obligations, in particular in relation to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Sino-British Joint Declaration lodged with the United Nations.