Writings published by a now-disbanded Tiananmen vigilante group were not intended to be subversive but written to expose Hongkongers to pro-democracy movements in mainland China, a former leader of the group has told a court.
“My articles were not intended to incite anything,” Chow Hang-tung, who heads the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of China’s Patriotic Democratic Movements, told national security judges on Monday.
Instead, it aimed to “tell stories” about rights activists facing oppression in mainland China, including the late Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo and his widow Liu Xia.
Chow, along with Alliance leader Lee Cheuk-yan, is in judgment for “inciting subversion” under the Beijing-imposed national security law, an offense punishable by a maximum of 10 years in prison. A third defendant, Albert Ho – another leader of the group – has pleaded guilty to the same charge.
For decades, the Alliance has organized vigils in Victoria Park to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown in Beijing, when hundreds, possibly thousands, were killed as troops dispersed pro-democracy demonstrators in and around Tiananmen Square.
On Monday, the court was shown an article in a periodical published by the Alliance in 2017, titled “Memorial at sea for Liu Xiaobo”.
Liu was one of the authors of Charter 08, a manifesto signed by Chinese dissidents and human rights activists calling for political change, including the establishment of an independent legal system, an end to one-party rule and freedom of association.
He was sentenced to 11 years in prison for inciting the overthrow of state power for his involvement in the petition.
The alliance, which is itself on trial under national security law, supported the Charter 08 movement and called for Liu’s release.
The alliance was planning how to celebrate his release when news broke that Liu was seriously ill in prison in 2017. “He passed away so quickly that we didn’t even have time to say it … we tried to fight for him to see his family one last time.”
Chow started to choke and stopped. Judge Alex Lee then asked her if she needed to take a break and ordered a tissue.
She said the Alliance’s support for the Charter 08 movement did not stop after Liu died in 2017, prompting Judge Johnny Chan to question whether the Alliance continued its support after Beijing’s national security law was passed in Hong Kong.
Chow said yes.
‘a reflection’
The activist also said she hoped her writing would help foster a bond between Hongkongers and democracy advocates in mainland China.
“When Hongkongers look at (mainland) China… they may be able to see what so many people have done in the pursuit of democracy and freedom,” she said. “Democracy is not something we pursue alone; it is also the desire of countless Chinese people.”
“We were not trying to instigate anything. We wanted to promote understanding between Hong Kong and mainland China. These are the most positive stories about China and its best people,” she added.
“It’s about letting friends in Hong Kong hear these stories, so they can see that both sides may be facing very similar struggles and controversies, facing the same systemic oppression, and thus perhaps find a reflection of them in our mainland counterparts.”
Chow was then shown an article by co-defendant Ho, in which he said that historical experience showed that the end of one-party rule was generally achieved in three ways: leaders giving up power, armed revolution and peaceful protest.
However, Chow said the Alliance has always advocated non-violent resistance and “resolutely rejected” violent revolution. Judge Chan then asked whether those “non-violent” means could be considered illegal in mainland China.
She replied: “It’s not about how the government defines it, but about the nature of the actions themselves: petitioning, gathering, marching and demonstrating are not inherently criminal acts.”
