In this issue: HK Alliance Case Verdict Due in July | Welcomes Guilty Verdict in London HKETO Case | Event | HK Labour Rights Newsflash
HK Alliance Verdict Pending—Keep the Spirit of June 4th Alive
The HK Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China (“Alliance”) case, concerning “incitement to subversion of state power”, has completed closing submissions.
Representing Lee Cheuk-yan, defence counsel argued that the prosecution has failed to demonstrate that the Alliance ever advocated any specific actions aimed at “ending one-party rule”. They said the organisation had, for more than 30 years, pursued its objectives through peaceful and lawful means, including calls for accountability over the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, commemoration of the victims, and advocacy for democratic reform. The defence also maintained that there was no evidence linking the Alliance’s activities to any unlawful conduct.
In her closing remarks, Chow Hang-tung argued that the case raises fundamental questions about whether the law is being used to entrench one-party rule and suppress dissent. She said that criticism of government, demands for accountability, and calls for institutional reform fall within the scope of protected free expression and the principles of the rule of law. The case has been adjourned until late July for verdict.
London HKETO Espionage Case
Trade Offices Must Not Be Used for Transnational Surveillance and Repression
A HKETO official and a UK Border Force officer have been found guilty of “assisting a foreign intelligence service”. We welcome the verdict, which demonstrates that free societies will not tolerate unlawful transnational surveillance. We hope it will help deter the increasingly rampant overseas surveillance and intelligence activities conducted by the Chinese Communist Party. The case has exposed allegations that the Hong Kong Government used the London Economic and Trade Office to monitor and gather information on Hong Kong exiles in the UK, with the office effectively becoming a tool for surveillance on behalf of the regime abroad. We urge the UK Government to urgently review the status of the Economic and Trade Office to prevent it from being used as a cover for transnational repression under the guise of trade promotion.
Event
June 4th – 37th Anniversary: Candles Are Not a Crime Their Light Shines Across the World
“Preserving their memory means preserving this space, and preserving ourselves. This has never been solely the responsibility of the bereaved families or of others; it is, in fact, all of our responsibility.”
— Chow Hang-tung, Mother’s Day message to the Tiananmen Mothers this year
Thirty-seven years on, the Tiananmen Mothers continue, year after year, to seek the truth and to demand justice for their children who were killed in the crackdown on the 4 June 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. As June approaches, people around the world still gather in cities large and small, lighting candles in remembrance and in defiance of attempts to erase history. To mourn is not a crime; to remember is an act of persistence.
HK Labour Rights Newsflash
- Delivery worker protections advance across Asia as Hong Kong lags behind Taiwan <Read more>
- Chow Hang-tung’s Letter to Tiananmen Mothers on Mother’s Day <Read more>
- Hong Kong Press Union Hits Out at “Tax Harassment” After Sudden $730,000 Bill <Read more>
- Hong Kong’s minimum wage buys just 1.7 Big Macs an hour – and lags behind much of the world <Read more>