BY EMMANUEL OGBONNA
A veteran Hong Kong democracy activist told a court on Friday that her group’s long-standing call for “ending one-party rule” was intended as an appeal for democratization in China, not as a demand to dismantle the Chinese Communist Party or overthrow its leadership.
Chow Hang-tung, a former vice chair of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, made the argument while testifying in her own defense during a national security trial that has come to symbolize the sharp curtailment of political dissent in the city. The case stems from the enforcement of a sweeping security law imposed by Beijing, which has dramatically reshaped Hong Kong’s political and civic landscape since 2020.
Chow was charged in September 2021 with inciting subversion, one of the most serious offenses under the law. Prosecutors allege she encouraged others to organize, plan, or carry out acts through unlawful means with the intention of undermining state power. The charge carries a potential prison sentence of up to 10 years.
Another former alliance leader, Lee Cheuk-yan, pleaded not guilty to the same charge on Thursday. Both were prominent figures in a group best known for organizing Hong Kong’s annual candlelight vigil commemorating the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square military crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators in Beijing.
At the heart of the case is a dispute over the meaning of one of the alliance’s core slogans: “ending one-party rule.” Prosecutors argue that the phrase amounted to a call to end the Communist Party’s leadership of China, which they say violates the Chinese constitution and leaves no lawful path for its realization. As such, the prosecution contends, the demand inherently implied subversive intent.
Chow, a trained barrister who is representing herself, rejected that interpretation in court. Speaking calmly and at length, she urged the judges to admit expert testimony from a Taiwan-based scholar examining the definition of democracy and whether efforts to pursue democratization necessarily involve unlawful means. She said the alliance’s language should be understood in its political and historical context, not reduced to a literal call to overthrow the ruling party.
“Democracy was the core concept behind the alliance’s activities and statements,” Chow told the court. “Our position was not to end the Communist Party’s leadership, but to end one-party dictatorship.” She argued that the Communist Party could, in theory, retain power through fair and competitive elections, consistent with democratic principles.
Judges are expected to rule on Monday on whether to admit the expert report, a decision that could shape how the court evaluates the group’s intentions and rhetoric.
The court also heard earlier testimony that co-defendant Albert Ho, another former leader of the alliance, said in 2018 that the group’s demand did not call for abolishing the Communist Party and that its leaders believed the party could continue governing if it won public support through elections. Ho pleaded guilty on Thursday, a move that could result in a reduced sentence.
For three decades, the Hong Kong Alliance organized the only large-scale public commemoration of the Tiananmen crackdown held on Chinese soil. Each year, tens of thousands gathered in Victoria Park on June 4, holding candles in silence to remember those killed in 1989 and to renew calls for accountability and democratic reform in China. The alliance’s platform also included the goal of “building a democratic China.”
The vigil was banned during the COVID-19 pandemic, and authorities later cited public health concerns and security considerations. In September 2021, amid mounting legal pressure on its leadership, the alliance voted to disband. Beijing and Hong Kong officials have defended the prosecutions as necessary to restore stability after the massive anti-government protests that swept the city in 2019.
Since the pandemic, the site that once hosted the candlelight vigil has instead been used for events organized by pro-Beijing groups on June 4, a shift that many observers see as emblematic of the broader erosion of civil liberties in the city.
Hong Kong, a former British colony that returned to Chinese rule in 1997, is governed as a special administrative region with a degree of autonomy promised under the “one country, two systems” framework. Critics say that autonomy has been steadily diminished as Beijing tightens its oversight, while the Hong Kong government maintains that enforcement of the national security law is evidence-based and conducted strictly in accordance with legal procedures.
As Chow’s trial continues, it has drawn close attention from legal scholars and rights advocates, who view the case as a critical test of how political speech and historical remembrance are now judged under Hong Kong’s transformed legal order.
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