Chow Hang-tung (鄒幸彤) is a Hong Kong barrister and human-rights defender known for her work on labour rights, support for persecuted rights defenders in mainland China, and leadership in the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China. This page is the Free China Movement’s canonical media profile and continuously maintained archive of reporting, public statements, legal developments and advocacy concerning her case.
Public role and June Fourth remembrance
For decades, the Hong Kong Alliance organized the city’s annual candlelight vigil commemorating the victims of the June Fourth 1989 crackdown. Chow became one of the most visible defenders of the right to remember that history and to advocate peacefully for democratic reform and accountability.
Detention and current case
Police arrested Chow on 8 September 2021. She was later charged, with other former Hong Kong Alliance leaders, with “inciting subversion” under Hong Kong’s National Security Law. On 21 August 2026, the Hong Kong High Court convicted Chow Hang-tung and Lee Cheuk-yan of that offense. On 11 September 2026, Chow was sentenced to 7 years and 3 months’ imprisonment; Lee Cheuk-yan was sentenced to 7 years, and Albert Ho to 5 years and 2 months in the same Hong Kong Alliance case. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have called for the convictions to be quashed and for Chow and Lee to be released; Amnesty has designated them prisoners of conscience.
Five years in detention
8 September 2026 marks five years since Chow’s 2021 arrest. The anniversary is a reminder of the personal cost borne by people who continue to defend historical memory, freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and democratic participation under sustained repression.
Free China Movement coverage
- Canonical Chow Hang-tung person profile
- When Hong Kong Silences Democratic Voices, Free Societies Must Carry Their Words Further — FCM statement, 2 September 2026
- New York Democracy Activists Read Chow Hang-tung’s Court Statement and Rally for Hong Kong Political Prisoners
Media and human-rights archive
- 11 September 2026 — Reuters: Hong Kong court sentencing report.
- 11 September 2026 — Associated Press: Background and sentencing report.
- 21 August 2026 — Human Rights Watch: Hong Kong: Activists Convicted for Tiananmen Vigils.
- August 2026 — Amnesty International: Tiananmen convictions and call for immediate and unconditional release.
- 28 August 2026 — Front Line Defenders: Chow Hang-tung profile and current case record.
- 8 September 2021 — Human Rights Watch: Chow’s arrest and subsequent national-security prosecution are documented in HRW’s September 2021 reporting.
Image and media-use note
Images and third-party media are included only when reuse rights, permission, an official embed, or another defensible publication basis is established. Source watermarks and credits must not be removed.
Archive policy: Future FreeChina.live News, Editorial, Rapid Response, Statement and advocacy items concerning Chow Hang-tung should link back to this media profile, and this page should add reciprocal links to substantive new coverage.
Related prisoner-status record
Chow Hang-tung is included in the Tiananmen 27 — Dissident & Political Prisoner Media Profile and Status Archive, which reconciles CHRD’s May 31, 2024 roster with her September 11, 2026 sentence of 7 years 3 months and the status of the other listed June Fourth participants, supporters and advocates.