Chow Hang-tung mitigation halted after security verdict
HKFP · 1 SOURCESabout 1 hour ago2 MIN
Summary
Tiananmen vigil activists Chow Hang-tung, Lee Cheuk-yan and Albert Ho, together with the now-defunct Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, returned to court on Friday for mitigation after guilty verdicts in their national security trial. Chow, a barrister who acted for herself during the trial, was stopped by the judge after reading only the first few sentences of her mitigation statement, while the offence of inciting subversion carries a maximum sentence of 10 years' imprisonment.
Key Points
- Chow Hang-tung, Lee Cheuk-yan, Albert Ho and the disbanded Hong Kong Alliance appeared in court on Friday for mitigation proceedings.
- Last Friday, Chow, Lee and the group were found guilty of inciting subversion under Hong Kong's national security law.
- Albert Ho had already pleaded guilty when the trial began in January, unlike Chow, who contested the case.
- Chow, a barrister, represented herself at trial and could read only the opening lines before the judge stopped her.
- HKFP said Chow later published the full text of her mitigation statement on her Patreon page.
Why It Matters
The hearing moves the case into the sentencing stage, with the defendants facing up to 10 years in prison after convictions tied to the former organisers of Hong Kong's annual June 4 vigil. Chow's interrupted statement also underscores how closely watched courtroom speech has become in major national security proceedings.