"Hong Kong Alliance" (the Alliance) and its three leaders, Lee Cheuk-yan, Ho Chun-yan and Chow Hang-tung, have been charged with "incitement to subversion". They were sentenced at 10 a.m. on Friday (Sept. 11) at the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts, which is temporarily serving as the High Court.
The Alliance was fined HK$1.5 million, payable within three months. Lee was sentenced to seven years in prison, Ho to five years and two months, and Chow to seven years and three months.
In a summary of the judgment, the judge detailed six reasons for assessing the case as involving "serious circumstances".
The reasons were:
- The unsettled and volatile social climate at the time of the offences;
- The defendants' activities continued for 14 months;
- The defendants committed the offences through various activities and different social media platforms;
- The defendants had a certain degree of mobilization capacity and influence in HK;
- The defendants' activities were territory-wide, had a broad reach and affected people across different age groups; and
- The defendants persisted with their actions despite believing that their advocacy might contravene the Constitution and the Hong Kong National Security Law, demonstrating that their conduct was premeditated.
Related News:
'HK Alliance' leaders sentenced to up to 7 years 3 months over subversion case
Tag:·incitement to subversion· Hong Kong Alliance· Lee Cheuk-yan· Ho Chun-yan· Chow Hang-tung
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