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Hong Kong police arrested a woman for alleged sedition outside the West Kowloon Law Courts Building on Friday, hours before leaders of a Tiananmen vigil group were found guilty under the national security law.
Hong Kong police set up a cordon outside the West Kowloon Law Courts Building on August 21, 2026, ahead of the verdict hearing of the trial of two Tiananmen vigil activists Chow Hang-tang and Lee Cheuk-yan on national security charges. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.Police told local media outlets that a 45-year-old was arrested early on Friday on suspicion of acting with seditious intention, disorder in public places, and obstructing police.
She was detained for investigation.
According to The Collective, the woman was among those queueing for seats in the public gallery for the verdict for Chow Hang-tung and Lee Cheuk-yan. The two are former leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, which used to organise Hong Kong’s annual Tiananmen vigils.
The organisation itself, which announced its disbandment in September 2021, was also on trial.
The Tiananmen vigil in Victoria Park on June 4, 2018. File photo: Etan Liam, via Flickr.Both the two activists and the Alliance were accused of inciting subversion through calls for “ending one-party rule” – a slogan that prosecutors said amounted to calling for the overthrow of the Chinese Communist Party.
The woman was taken into a police vehicle at around 5am, according to The Collective.
A witness who was also in the queue told the media outlet that the woman was wearing a black t-shirt with Japanese characters.
HKFP has reached out to the police for comment.
Acting with seditious intention is an offence under Article 23, the city’s local security law. It is punishable by up to seven years’ imprisonment, or 10 years if the offence is committed with foreign forces.
The Alliance case was adjourned to Friday for mitigation statements.
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