On 21 August 2026, the High Court designated three-judge panel (Justices Alex Lee, Johnny Chan, and Anna Lai) handed down a guilty verdict against the disbanded Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, former chairman Lee Cheuk-yan, and former vice-chairwoman Chow Hang-tung for “incitement to subversion of state power” under Articles 22 and 23 of the National Security Law (HCCC 155/2022). Lee, Ho, and Chow have been remanded in custody for more than 4 years.
The court ruled that “other unlawful means” does not require physical violence, finding that the Alliance’s 30-year core operational platform, particularly the slogan “End one-party dictatorship” and the annual Victoria Park June 4th candlelight vigils, unlawfully aimed to subvert the fundamental socialist system established by the PRC Constitution, asserting the vigils “objectively escalated hostile sentiment.”
On 28 August 2026, the court held mitigation proceedings. Defence counsel for Lee Cheuk-yan and Albert Ho argued that their actions were peaceful and non-violent, advocating for classification under the “minor” offence category with sentences under five years. Should the court rule the case to be “serious”, sentences would be 5-10 years. Representing herself, Chow Hang-tung delivered a mitigation defending historical memory, peaceful civil society advocacy, and the public’s right to pursue democratic reform. The panel repeatedly interrupted and restricted her oral submissions, preventing her from completing them in court. Chow subsequently published her complete, unabridged mitigation statement online via Patreon. The court adjourned the case for sentencing within two weeks, anticipated by 11 September 2026.