She’s in Jail

Chow Hang-tung, a Hong Kong barrister and human rights advocate, served as vice-chair of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China. For posting online about the 4 June 2021 Tiananmen vigil and urging others to attend, she was convicted of inciting an unauthorised assembly and sentenced to 15 months. She was later charged, together with Alliance chair Lee Cheuk-yan and vice-chair Albert Ho, with inciting subversion of state power, and has been held in custody ever since.

In court Chow chose to represent herself. Facing charge after charge, she has consistently refused to plead guilty — not only to argue her case, but to claim every appearance as a chance to speak, defending free expression and the dignity of the courts through her own conduct under authoritarian pressure.