Lee Cheuk Yan, the Hong Kong democracy activist and long-time leader of the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (HKCTU), found himself back in court on 1 November 2021. He and seven others were charged with organising a vigil on 4 June 2020 to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.
Lee, who was already in prison for his part in other pro-democracy events, pleaded guilty, saying that mourning the 4 June events was something that had to be done, and that he had no regrets.
The trial began on 2 November. Lee Cheuk Yan, along with seven others, has been sentenced to 14 months in prison for “inciting, organising and participating” in a candlelight vigil on 4 June 2020.
This sentence will run concurrently with the 20-month prison sentence Lee Cheuk-yan is already serving.
Many gatherings are considered illegal in Hong Kong following the imposition by Beijing in June 2020 of the new National Security Law in the wake of the 2019 pro-democracy protests.
