On Tuesday, May 19th, a Hong Kong court completed arguments regarding a national security trial for two organizers of a city vigil that took place in remembrance of the Tiananmen Square crackdown. The charges were brought against Chow Hang-tung and Lee Cheuk-yan—two ex-leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China. They were charged in 2021 for instigating a subversive attack on a Beijing-imposed national security law.
During the trial, the prosecution represented how freedoms of citizens have been stripped over the years, and how this relates to the vigil. The defendants’ actions showed Beijing that freedoms are limited. Prosecutor Ned Lai spoke on the freedoms of speech in Beijing in his arguments, stating, “The freedoms of speech, association and assembly mentioned by D2 and D4 are not ‘trump cards’ that can override the law,” (Courthouse News). “D2” and “D4” refer to Hang-tung and Cheuk-yan’s defendant numbers. The prosecution’s defense concluded that said freedoms are not granted, meaning both defendants’ petition for democracy is unjust. The prosecution also stated that the defendants did not advocate for their desired change effectively, and were instead inciting violence. Now that the trial is over, a verdict is within reach. Judge Alex Lee announced that “judges can’t specify a verdict date but hoped to have a decision between mid- and late July,” (AP News).
The defendants’ predicament is due to the country’s laws. Hong Kong is not an independent country, and its system falls under the jurisdiction of the Chinese Communist Party. Though it would be beneficial for Hong Kong’s government to follow new laws, their alliance and relationship with China prevents this from happening. The people of Hong Kong who seek a democratic government must find the swiftest way to create change in their country without causing conflict between Hong Kong and its governmental father.
Around the world, people do not experience freedom equally. The people of Hong Kong cannot speak freely about their own history without their words and actions being criminalized. The soon-to-be verdict will display the range of freedom Hong Kong citizens can expect to experience in the future. The question is, how much?