Hong Kong courts sentence Tiananmen vigil activists to 5-7 years in prison

Three Hong Kong activists who participated in the annual Tiananmen Square vigil were sentenced to prison terms ranging from five to seven years after being found guilty of violating the city’s national security law. The court’s decision, handed down this week, marks the latest application of the law to suppress commemorations of the 1989 pro‑democracy protests, which Beijing has long deemed a threat to national stability. Prosecutors argued that the vigil constituted “subversion of state power,” while the defendants maintained that their gatherings were peaceful expressions of remembrance.

The verdict has prompted condemnation from the United Nations, several international human‑rights organizations and foreign governments, which described the sentences as a violation of fundamental freedoms of assembly and expression. Diplomatic representatives called for the immediate release of the activists and urged Hong Kong authorities to respect its international obligations. The case underscores ongoing tensions between Beijing’s security agenda and global calls for the protection of civil liberties in the Special Administrative Region.