Taiwan urges release of Hong Kong activists convicted of subversion

Taipei, Aug. 21 (CNA) Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) called for the immediate release of two Hong Kong pro-democracy activists Friday after Hong Kong's Court of First Instance convicted them and the now-defunct Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China of inciting subversion of state power.

The MAC expressed "deep regret and sorrow" over the Friday convictions and urged the Chinese and Hong Kong governments to stop what it described as political persecution.

According to Hong Kong media outlet Sing Tao Daily, the convicted defendants are former Alliance chairman Lee Cheuk-yan (李卓人) and former vice chairwoman Chow Hang-tung (鄒幸彤). Another former vice chairman, Albert Ho (何俊仁), pleaded guilty before the trial began.

The Alliance, which was dissolved in 2021, had for decades organized peaceful events commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown and advocated democracy and freedom in China, the MAC said.

According to the Sing Tao Daily report, the defendants were charged under Hong Kong's National Security Law with inciting others to organize, plan or participate in acts aimed at subverting state power between July 1, 2020 and Sept. 8, 2021.

The MAC said the case took nearly five years to work its way through the courts, during which the defendants spent a prolonged period in detention, raising international concerns about the deterioration of human rights and the rule of law in Hong Kong.

The rule of law, freedom of speech and thought, and respect for human rights are essential to maintaining Hong Kong's status as an international financial center, as well as its prosperity and stability, the MAC said.

It urged Beijing and the Hong Kong government to stop using national security laws to suppress dissent and release those detained in the case.