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June 4 vigil in Hong Kong
Hong KongPolitics

Hong Kong activists convicted of unauthorised assembly over annual Tiananmen Square vigil after guilty pleas

  • Six members of Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China formally entered pleas at District Court
  • Police had banned the event in 2020 at Victoria Park on public health grounds

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Activists gather at Victoria Park in Causeway Bay for the annual June 4 vigil in 2020. Photo: Sam Tsang
Brian Wong
Six members of a group behind Hong Kong’s annual Tiananmen vigil have been convicted after pleading guilty to unauthorised assembly offences stemming from last year’s banned event.

Albert Ho Chun-yan, vice-chairman of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, and five former standing committee members – Andrew Wan Siu-kin, Cheung Man Kwong, Mak Hoi-wah, Leung Kwok-wah and Chiu Yan-loy – formally entered their pleas alongside six other activists and former politicians at the District Court on Thursday.

The 12 were among 26 opposition figures charged with a total of 39 offences in connection with the candlelight vigil at Victoria Park on June 4, 2020.

Police had banned the event, citing public health concerns tied to the coronavirus pandemic. This year’s event was also banned on the same grounds.

03:06

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Former lawmakers “Long Hair” Leung Kwok-hung, Cyd Ho Sau-lan, Eddie Chu Hoi-dick and Yeung Sum, along with former convenor of Civil Human Rights Front Figo Chan Ho-wun and Labour Party chairman Steven Kwok Wing-kin, also pleaded guilty.

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