Justice in Absentia: Hong Kong's Tiananmen Crackdown Trials The verdicts handed down to three pro democracy activists in a Hong Kong court last Friday were less a surprise than a stark reminder of Beijing's unyielding grip on free speech.
Lee Cheuk yan, Chow Hang tung, and Albert Ho, all veterans of the city's democracy movement, were sentenced to prison terms ranging from five to seven years for incitement to subversion under Hong Kong's national security law.
The law, enacted in 2020 amidst a wave of mass protests that shook the territory, has been used systematically to silence dissent and consolidate Beijing's authority.