Chow Hang-tung appeals conviction and 7-year sentence
On.cc · 2 SOURCESabout 3 hours ago5 MIN
Summary
Former Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China vice-chairwoman Chow Hang-tung (鄒幸彤) has lodged an appeal against both her conviction and sentence after being jailed for 7 years and 3 months in the subversion case involving the now-dissolved group. The Judiciary's website shows that the appeal was filed with the Court of Appeal on October 5, based on the source date, and no hearing date has yet been fixed. The case also involved former chairman Lee Cheuk-yan (李卓人), former vice-chairman Albert Ho Chun-yan (何俊仁), and the alliance itself, all charged over conduct between July 1, 2020 and September 8, 2021. Ho pleaded guilty before trial, while the alliance, Lee and Chow contested the charge and were convicted.
Key Points
- Chow filed her appeal against both conviction and sentence with the High Court on October 5, and the case has not yet been listed for hearing
- The four defendants were the Hong Kong Alliance, Lee Cheuk-yan, Albert Ho Chun-yan and Chow Hang-tung, all charged with inciting subversion.
- Prosecutors alleged the offence spanned from July 1, 2020 to September 8, 2021, involving calls to end Chinese Communist Party leadership.
- Ho pleaded guilty before trial and was sentenced to 5 years and 2 months, while Lee received 7 years and Chow 7 years and 3 months.
- The court also fined the dissolved alliance HK$1.5 million and ruled the case was of a serious nature despite no violence being involved.
Why It Matters
The appeal keeps one of Hong Kong's prominent national security prosecutions active in the appellate courts, with both conviction and sentence now under challenge. For Hong Kong readers, the case remains significant because the trial court treated prolonged public advocacy by well-known figures as a serious national security offence even without evidence of violence or actual disruption