Still Remembering June 4, 36 Years Later

Lighting a candle to remember June 4

The 36th anniversary marking the June 4th massacre did not go unnoticed in Vancouver. This evening a few hundred people converged on David Lam Park in the downtown area to mark the event with speeches, songs and candles.

There were stalls presenting information about what happened to Hong Kong, in particular the 2019 protests, what happened in Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989, a bust of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo, and a poster showing pictures of the candlelight vigil in Hong Kong's Victoria Park every year from 1990 to 2020. There was also a mini Zunzi exhibition featuring his political cartoons.

Speakers including Chow and Giggs hold candles

When the vigil this evening began, organisers spoke about not only remembering the victims who died in Beijing in 1989, but also Lee Cheuk-yan, Albert Ho Chun-yan, and Chow Hang-tung, former organisers of the Hong Kong vigil, who have been in jail for over 1,000 days.

Organisers also said since the vigil was declared illegal in Hong Kong since 2020, it was even more important to be able to mark it in Canada.

People like Dr Diana Lary, professor of Emerita of History at the University of British Columbia spoke about being in Beijing in June 1989 and how she safely returned to Vancouver and pretty much every year since has commemorated the event. 

During her speech she felt most for the Tiananmen Mothers who are in their 80s and don't have any grandchildren, let alone children. Lary also noted how there were many authoritarian governments around the world, and worried about the Canadian government possibly doing more business with China because of our economic situation these days.

Former radio host Giggs, Edmund Wan Yiu-sing also took to the stage in a spirited speech. He encouraged people listening to close their eyes and for 10 seconds think of people in Hong Kong who previously attended the candlelight vigil and imagine them here. 

People place candles in holders

He relayed that Lee recently had surgery, while Ho's health wasn't very good. He told them and Chow that they were not forgotten.

There was also a voice recording of one of the Tiananmen Mothers, who was pleased that others outside China were remembering what happened 36 years ago today.

The big draw of the evening was Alex Chow Yong-kang, who is currently studying his PhD at the University of California, Berkeley. He said June 4th was not only China's history, but the world's history, and Canada's history, as we have marked the event for the past 36 years. 

Chow urged people to not only remember the victims, but also create connections. "We are not here merely to mourn, but to reaffirm our humanity and dignity. The candlelight of memory may eventually dim, but our commitment never will," he said in English.

As he spoke, white candles were handed out, and while the sun was still setting, it wasn't pitch dark yet. Nevertheless, candles were lit and then attendees were encouraged to place them in a candle holder near the stage.

Yes we still remember, and we will continue to do so.

 

A Crime to Remember June 4

The last candlelight vigil in Victoria Park on June 4, 2019

In Hong Kong it is the 34th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, a tragic anniversary that used to be marked with tens of thousands of people descending on Victoria Park for the candlelight vigil.

Upon entering the Causeway Bay park, attendees passed by a small statue of the Goddess of Democracy and received a white candle and a conical paper cup with a small hole cut at the bottom as a candle holder, and a program.

The Goddess of Democracy statue

People sat on football pitches and quietly waited for the event to start, where every year the same songs were played, the same kind of speeches made, calling for the Chinese government to be accountable for the deaths of Beijing residents in and around Tiananmen Square. 

There would be a voice recording from one of the Tiananmen Mothers, whose son or daughter died during the bloody crackdown, continuing to mourn their loss without recognition from the government, and a survivor or witness would also give a speech, telling the assembled crowd what they had heard and seen.

Songs were sung, slogans chanted, and candles lit -- with people in awe of the magical sight of these small lights that shone so brightly in the dark. The candles were a powerful reminder of why it was important to gather and remember.

This ritual happened for 30 consecutive years until suddenly overnight it has become a crime to remember June 4 after the national security law was implemented in July 2020.

Some of the organisers of the vigil, the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China, including Chow Hang-tung, Albert Ho Chun-yan, and Lee Cheuk-yan were arrested and charged with violating the national security law. They are now remanded in custody.

Kwan and Lau (middle) surrounded by police

The subsequent anniversaries were "cancelled" due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and this year is the first one free of restrictions.

However, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu refused to clearly state if people could commemorate June 4, saying they should obey the law.

But some people were undeterred yesterday and there are reports that up to eight people were arrested for publicly marking the anniversary of the crackdown.

Two people, Kwan Chun-pong and Lau Ka-yee wore black T-shirts and a red cross painted on their mouths, stood by Victoria Park and planned to stage a 24-hour hunger strike. But they were taken away by the police.

Meanwhile two artists outside the Sogo Department Store in Causeway Bay were taken away by the police too. One of them, Sanmu Chan shouted, "Do not forget June 4! Don't be afraid of them, Hongkongers!" as two police held each arm and escorted him away. He was even verbally warned by another officer to shut up, but the artist continued chanting.

Chan (middle) told Hongkongers not to forget 6/4

Another couple in white who held chrysanthemum flowers were taken away. When asked if they were being arrested, the young man said he didn't know why.

After people could not go to Victoria Park, the Tiananmen Square Museum in Mong Kok became the next pilgrimage spot, but then it too was unceremoniously shut down just before June 4, 2021. Police raided the museum and took away all of the artefacts that had been collected over the years.

Now Hongkongers can only remember the anniversary in their hearts, and also reflect on how much the city has changed in such a short period of time.

While the authorities are trying very hard to make people forget June 4, they cannot succeed. And the diaspora outside of Hong Kong are even more determined to keep the memory alive, ensuring the candles continue to shine brightly.

Pillar of Shame Confiscated as Evidence

The Pillar of Shame when it stood in the HKU campus

The saga of the sculpture paying homage to the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre continues with it being confiscated by the police yesterday, apparently related to a national security case.

The Pillar of Shame, which had been taken apart, wrapped up and hidden in the University of Hong Kong's Kadoorie Centre in Yuen Long, was taken by the police as evidence for a subversion case.

Since 1997, the eight-metre tall sculpture featuring people in an organic pyramid, was standing at the HKU campus until it was dismantled in the middle of the night by a crew in hard hats in December 2021.

It was removed late one night in December 2021

When Jens Galschiot, the artist who made the sculpture heard about the latest development from the media, he slammed the operation as "outrageous", as he said he was the owner of the artwork and no one had consulted him on the matter.

He wrote a message on his newsletter which read in full:

I just got the news from the media about the removing of the Pillar of Shame from Hong Kong University. This is outrageous. This is my sculpture and nobody has consulted or informed me about anything.

I have heard that the sculpture will be used as evidence under the national security law, but this makes no sense to me.

The pillar was placed in Hong Kong, before Hong Kong was handed over by the British. It is an art piece made and exhibited by a Danish artist (me) as his personal project. The initiative has been mine, nobody has incited me to put it there, and I personally paid all expenses for it. 

I cannot see how they can use the sculpture under the national security law. The Democratic Alliance and many Hongkongers have been assisting me putting the sculpture in Hong Kong, but so has shipping companies, crane firms and University of Hong Kong. Even Hong Kong authorities has given permission for me to put it up and move it around.

Though I am deeply touched that the Pillar is used this way in Hong Kong, the events confirm the that symbolic language of art cannot be crushed, and only gets stronger when attacked. The Pillar of Shame and talks about the June 4th massacre hasn’t been more present than now. Hong Kong (China!) took down the pillar but got a 1000 back. It appears as 3D prints all over the world, as AI and as banners.

 

Galschiot continues to demand sculpture back

Sincerely yours,
Jens Galschiot, May 5^th, 2023

 

The security bureau released a statement replying to Galschiot in part: "Some organisations attempted to mislead the public in the name of artistic freedom and requested to return the evidence, smearing the police's legal action with insensible blame, undermining law and the rule of law."

Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung said the removal of the statue had nothing to do with the upcoming June 4 anniversary, and that the operation was done according to the ongoing investigation.

"The legal proceedings are still ongoing. I cannot reveal any details... We will continue to search for more evidence to support the prosecution work," he said.

The organiser of Hong Kong's annual Tiananmen Square candlelight vigil -- the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriot Democratic Movements of China -- together with three of its leading members, Lee Cheuk-yan, Albert Ho Chun-yah, and Chow Hang-tung have been charged with inciting subversion under the national security law.

The chances of Galschiot retrieving his sculpture have dimmed significantly now that it has been confiscated as "evidence"...

National Security Law at Work in the Courts

Chow and two others were sentenced to 4.5 months in prison

What happened today?

Three members of the group that organised the Tiananmen Square candlelight vigil for 30 consecutive years, were jailed for 4.5 months for refusing to assist police in an investigation into the group's alleged breaches of the national security law.

The Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China former vice-chairwoman Chow Hang-tung, and ex-standing committee members Tsui Hon-kwong and Tang Ngok-kwan were convicted earlier this month.

During the trial the trio maintained the alliance was not a foreign agent, and thus had no obligation to cooperate with the authorities, but the court found "reasonable grounds" to believe otherwise, saying the group had "close" interactions with local and overseas organisations that shared "common objectives".

Tsui and Tang were also alliance members

In sentencing today, Chow, who is also a lawyer, gave a speech in court that was interrupted several times by Magistrate Peter Law for only wanting to hear points in "pure legal sense".

She said in part: "With the notice and the degrading designation as foreign agent, the government was effectively saying to us -- bend your knees, betray your friends, betray your cause, accept an absolute authority to know all and decide all and you shall have peace.

"What we are saying with our actions is simply one word -- never. Never will we surrender our independence from the state. Never will we illegitimise our movement by endorsing the government's false narrative. Never will we treat ourselves and our fellow friends as criminals just because the government says we are.

"We will fight this injustice wherever we must, be it in the streets, or in the courtroom, or in the prison cell. This is a battle we will fight on and here in this city we call home for our freedom to be ourselves is at stake here."

Chow is now waiting to face another trial for allegedly inciting subversion of state power under the national security law with the alliance's former chairman Lee Cheuk-yan and vice-chairman Albert Ho Chun-yan.

Tang was arrested outside Stanley Prison

Speaking of Lee, his wife Elizabeth Tang Yin-ngor had just visited him in Stanley Prison when the police arrested her on suspected collusion with foreign forces under the national security law.

Two days later she was granted bail of HK$200,000 two days later and surrendered her travel documents. She had recently returned to Hong Kong after being in the United Kingdom since 2021.

When Tang was released she spoke to reporters about not understanding why she was arrested in the first place.

"I don't understand. My work has always been for labour rights and workers organising unions. I don't know why that would be considered unlawful, not to mention endangering national security," Tang said.

Another person on trial for sedition is Chung Pui-kuen, a former editor of the now defunct Stand News. 

Chung was questioned over an op-ed that compared Hong Kong to the fictional totalitarian regime in George Orwell's dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four.

Chung had to explain novel Nineteen Eighty-Four

The judge presiding over the trial asked whether Nineteen Eighty-Four was a book and what it was about.

Towards the end of questioning about the op-ed, Judge Kwok Wai-kin interrupted the lead prosecutor and asked Chung if Nineteen Eighty-Four was a book, adding: "I have never read it, can you tell me a bit more about the book?"

After Chung gave a brief overview of Orwell's novel, the lead prosecutor said: "Wait -- so this is a rewrite? What are the original lines?"

Chung told her he could give her the original lines later. The judge has never read the book, and to prepare for the case the lead prosecutor didn't read the novel either?

This is what is happening in Hong Kong's law courts these days. 

Hong Kong Activists Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

Hong Kong activists have been nominated for the Nobel prize

A bipartisan group of US lawmakers have nominated several Hong Kong pro-democracy activists for the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize.

They include Cardinal Joseph Zen, Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, and Joshua Wong Chi-fung of the now defunct Demosisto.

New Jersey Republican representative Christopher Smith, and Senator Jeff Merkley, a Democrat from Oregon, nominated the group "because they are ardent champions of Hong Kong's autonomy, human rights and the rule of law", according to the statement by the lawmakers.

Smith and Rubio are part of the CECC

Smith and Merkley lead the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, which advises the US Congress on policy towards China. Other members of the group include representative Jim McGovern, a Massachusetts Democrat, and Senator Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican.

They also nominated journalist-turned-politician Gwyneth Ho Kwai-lam, Tonyee Chow Hang-tung, a lawyer for a disbanded civil society group, and labour activist Lee Cheuk-yan.

"The nominees are representative of millions of Hongkongers who peacefully opposed the steady erosion of the city's democratic freedoms by the Hong Kong government and the government of the People's Republic of China," said the statement.

"Through the nomination, the members of Congress seek to honour all those in Hong Kong whose bravery and determination in the face of repression has inspired the world."

All the nominees have been charged under the national security law that was imposed on Hong Kong in July 2020.

Wong and Zen are two of the Nobel nominees

This is not the first time Hong Kong pro-democracy activists have been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize -- Rubio and other CECC lawmakers nominated the entire opposition movement in 2021 in response to the national security law.

If anything this announcement brings attention to the plight of these nominees, almost all of them still in jail for around two years with no chance of bail, except for Zen. The 91-year-old was recently allowed to attend former Pope Benedict's funeral in the Vatican; after Zen returned he was in hospital for a few days because of breathing difficulties.

Chow Hang-Tung Acquitted in Appeal

Chow won appeal against conviction for inciting ppl to gather

Just in the last few hours, democracy activist Chow Hang-tung won an appeal against her conviction and sentence for inciting people to gather at Victoria Park for the June 4th anniversary.

The ex-vice-chairperson of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China was convicted for inciting others to take part in an unauthorised assembly and was sentenced for 15 months in jail in January. 

Up until 2020, the June 4 vigil held annually

She has almost finished serving that sentence almost 12 months later...

In the ruling Justice Judianna Barnes wrote that while Chow appealed to the public to come to Victoria Park to gather, it was not a crime because the police ban on the candlelight vigil was not legally sound.

Justice Barnes also found the police did not properly and fully exercise their responsibility to explore measures to facilitate a peaceful and safe public gathering before issuing a ban on the vigil.

Not only that but Justice Barnes has given Chow the green light to launch a parallel trial the police ban's legality in her criminal trial because she was not the applicant for police permission for the vigil, and yet she was prosecuted for it.

Is this for real? Is there still some rule of law left in Hong Kong?

Chow has been determined from the beginning and methodical in her approach, taking down the prosecution's arguments point by point.

Chow still faces NSL charges with Lee and Ho

But she still faces national security law charge of inciting subversion of state power together with Lee Cheuk-yan and Albert Ho Chjn-yan, the chair and vice chair of the Hong Kong Alliance. The trio are alleged to have incited others to subvert state power between July 1, 2020 and September 8, 2021.

Legal Win for Jimmy Lai

Lai's legal team has a boost with well-known UK barrister

A big win for Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai Chee-ying -- to have his request granted of having a prominent British barrister represent him in his upcoming national security law collusion trial.

The Court of Appeal made the ruling on Wednesday, following a decision by High Court Chief Justice Jeremy Poon Shiu-chor last month to allow King's Counsel Tim Owen from London to join Lai's legal team for public interest.

Owen's participation was opposed by the Department of Justice and the Bar Association, but the latter did not lodge an appeal against the chief judge's ruling.

Owen has worked on many cases in Hong Kong

The department argued that overseas counsel could not explain to judges new perspectives on the national security law, that was imposed by Beijing in June 2020, as they lacked a full understanding of the city's unique socio-political and constitutional context.

In other words they claimed he was an outsider who did not have a full appreciation of what was going on in Hong Kong at the time.

But the appeal court dismissed the argument, saying: "The forthcoming criminal trial is a high profile case attracting substantial publicity locally and abroad. It involves the resolution of legal issues of great general public importance that would impact substantially on the development of [national security law] jurisprudence and sedition offences," Wednesday's judgment said, without identifying the author.

"Public perception of fairness in the trial is of vital importance to the administration of justice. The court must adopt a flexible and sensible approach to arrive at a decision that would best suit the public interest in this application."

High Court Chief Justice Jeremy Poon

The 74-year-old Lai will stand trial next month before a three-judge panel in the Court of First Instance on charges of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and conspiracy to publish seditious material.

Prosecutors are accusing Lai of conspiracy to attract foreign sanctions or blockades against city and mainland Chinese officials through pieces published by his now-closed Apple Daily newspaper, as well as through a lobbying group he is alleged to have directed and financed behind the scenes.

Owen is no stranger to Hong Kong, having worked on several high-profile cases, including Rurik Jutting, an ex-British banker who was convicted of murdering two women in 2016, and the highest ranking officer among seven policemen prosecuted for assault on a protester during the 2014 Umbrella Movement.

The department must be fuming, and by extension the government. Some pundits on Twitter think the authorities may change the rules to prevent Owen from representing Lai but the timing might be too late for that.

This development has shown it is possible to get decent if not really good representation in court.

By the same token it also helps if you yourself refuse to go down without a fight, as in the case of Chow Hang-tung, who is remanded in custody and is facing two national security law charges including subversion.

Chow fighting every legal avenue from jail

She was a part of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, which organised the Tiananmen Square candlelight vigil every year in Victoria Park for 30 years. 

For that Chow says it is impossible for her to plead guilty she said in court. "Pursuing democracy is not a crime. I plead not guilty." 

A trained lawyer, Chow is defending herself and is methodically fighting whatever legal avenue she can think of, including making 15 bail applications for the two cases, but all have been denied.

But she did get a big win -- to allow the media to report on pre-trial hearings for national security law cases. Not only does that allow the media to report on how the national security law is applied, but also see the physical state of the accused in court.

Chow also uses the opportunity to shout out her slogans to the gallery, "Do not forget June 4. Resist till the end!" in a bid to publicise the goals of the movement.

Her biggest fear is not jail itself, but the world becoming indifferent to increasing abuse.

She seems prepared for the long fight along with Lai. They are not going gently into the good night.

Pelosi's Taiwan Trip, HK Media Victory on NSL

Pelosi received a medal of honour from Tsai this morning

As expected the raging threats did not stop US Speaker Nancy Pelosi from arriving in Taiwan, meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen and even receiving a medal of honour for standing firm in safeguarding freedom, democracy and human rights.

PLA have surrounded the island doing live drills

Nevertheless, China is retaliating by holding live military drills surrounding Taiwan, more than it did in 1996. The live-fire drills will apparently continue until Thursday, though it is not clear how much longer Pelosi will be in Taiwan.

And as usual the Taiwanese people are cool as cucumbers, unmoved by the latest fiasco, but for the most part pleased to see such public support for their country.

Meanwhile a very important ruling happened yesterday in Hong Kong with regards to national security law cases.

In a landmark ruling, reporting restrictions regarding the transfer of criminal cases to the High Court must be lifted if the defendant makes such a request.

This came about after lawyer and activist Chow Hang-tung challenged a magistrate's decision to retain reporting restrictions on national security law cases.

Chow was arrested for her part in the June 4 vigil

On Tuesday, High Court Judge Alex Lee said that magistrates had no say in whether to lift reporting restrictions on committal hearings if the accused had applied to do so.

Chow is facing charges of inciting and taking part in illegal assembly of the 2020 June 4 candlelight vigil, and for organising the vigil the following year, as she is the then vice-chairperson of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China.

She along with the group's other leaders, Albert Ho Chun-yan, and Lee Cheuk-yan were charged with incitement to subversion under the national security law.

She filed the judicial review in May after Principal Magistrate Peter Law's decision in April to reject her request to lift reporting restrictions.

This ruling is significant in terms of press freedom, but also in helping people understand what happens in the court proceedings for a national security law case. It also gives some transparency and accountability with regards to the judicial system.

High Court Judge Lee allows reporting NSL cases

The government will not be pleased, especially Beijing. But hey -- if they want people to know more about the national security law, watching the cases through reports from the media -- gives people a better idea of what it's all about. 

Hong Kong in the Hot Seat

The HK delegation answered UNHRC questions via video link

Finally some kind of accountability is taking place -- the United Nations Human Rights Committee began its review of Hong Kong's rights record for the first time since Beijing implemented the national security law in July 2020.

Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang Kwok-wai and other senior officials weren't in Geneva but attended the meeting via a video link.

Bulkan asking for reassurance for CSOs

He gave a speech that was just under 20 minutes long, stating the government had done much to protect people's rights in Hong Kong.

"Safeguarding human rights and freedoms is a constitutional duty of the HKSAR government. The government attaches the utmost importance and it is firmly committed to the protection of human rights, which has been upheld firmly and across the board by all our government bureaux and departments," Tsang said.

He even added that Chinese President Xi Jinping said the "one country, two systems" principle is working well and is recognised by 1.4 billion Chinese people and the international community.

The implementation of the national security law and the overhaul of the electoral system, Tsang said, was necessary in the wake of the 2019 protests.

However this reasoning did not go down well with UN committee members.

Chow says no protesters killed

"I note, honourable secretary, your comment about the events that precipitated this law, but I must observe that it was done overnight, without consultation, and bypassing the local legislature," noted Guyanese lawyer and the committee's vice chair Christopher Arif Bulkan.

He asked the Hong Kong officials if civil society organisations (CSO) taking part in this review would be violating the national security law.

"Can you provide assurances that the CSOs who participate here today, and over the next three days, are not in danger of prosecution or victimisation under the NSL, for such engagement?" Bulkan asked.

While the Hong Kong authorities sought to assuage concerns that CSOs would not be targeted under NSL, the committee was not convinced, and again asked for assurances.

Apollonia Liu of the security bureau replied that the NSL does not target "normal interactions" such as participation in this review.

Another vice chair from Japan, Shuichi Furuya, also expressed concerns about the overreaching nature of the law and its broad scope.

He said the committee had received reports from organisations overseas who said they received requests from Hong Kong authorities to remove content that may violate NSL.

Other committee members said the police consistently violated international standards in excessive, indiscriminate response to the protests, to which deputy commissioner of police Joe Chow described them as "riots", and that "certain media" falsely accused the police "to purposely divide society, incite hatred and compromise national security."

"We are extremely restrained in the use of force," he said. "Not a single protester was killed... even under the serious situation. This showed the professionalism of my staff."

Chow added no protesters were killed during the social unrest, and that the police seized Molotov cocktails, and that protesters killed a cleaner with bricks.

Meanwhile questions about NSL cases regarding Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, Chow Hang-tung and Tong Ying-kit were not answered.

Probably the usual excuse of not commenting on individual cases...

But the committee pressed on, reiterating its previous recommendation that Hong Kong should have an independent mechanism to conduct an investigation into police abuses. However, Shirley Yung said the current complaints mechanisms like Complaints Against Police Office and the Independent Police Complaints Council are fair and adequate.

Gaslighting at its finest.

The UNHRC also pointed out how NSL judges threaten judicial independence, but Liu replied that the chief executive does not assign the judge to a particular case so judicial independence is not undermined.

But the chief executive can choose which judges can oversee NSL cases, which pre-determines the result of the case! 

There were also questions about the LeaveHomeSafe app and if it really did collect people's information.

And then, what do you know -- the Hong Kong delegation is having technical difficulties with their video link!

 

Apparently the Hong Kong group was not attending in person because of the Covid-19 pandemic, but perhaps Tsang did not want to risk US sanctions? Or pulling the plug was one of the strategies all along?

In any event, the discussion or rather the grilling continues on Tuesday -- with extra time tacked on because it was suddenly cut short on Thursday.

We'll be watching...

Chow Continues Legal Fight Behind Bars

Chow has applied for a judicial review to allow open reporting

Chow Hang-tung, a former leader of the group that organised the annual June 4 candlelight vigil is still fighting to the end.

A barrister herself, Chow is using the law to fight in the public interest even though she herself is in the dock for charges that the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China incited subversion, a violation of the national security law.

It has been difficult for journalists to report on everything that occurs in a national security law case, and Chow wants to blow it open for public record. Today she handed in an application for a judicial review on Monday against a magistrate's decision not to lift reporting restrictions on national security cases.

She is one of the organisers of the candlelight vigil

The application was made against the decision of Principal Magistrate Peter Law, who is also a hand-picked national security judge, not to lift reporting restrictions on committal proceedings for the Alliance's national security case.

When a magistrate restricts reporting of a national security case, written and broadcast reports are limited to only including the names of the defendants, magistrates and lawyers, the alleged offence, the court's decision, whether legal aid was granted, and future court dates.

In the application, Law denied Chow's application to lift reporting restrictions on committal proceedings on April 25. The principal magistrate ruled that the court had discretion to reject such applications. 

Law also said if restrictions were lifted, it would lead to "widespread critical discussion or even attack" of the case because the whole proceedings could be reported.

"Further, due to the disruptive behaviour of the public, the lifting of reporting restrictions will give immense mental pressure or even fear to potential witnesses. This is damaging to a fair trial," said Law, according to the application.

Ho has also been charged with inciting subversion

But Chow refutes back: "The risk of intimidating potential witnesses is neither real, nor linked to whether reporting restrictions are lifted or not," she wrote on the application.

"More detrimentally, the Principal Magistrate gave no consideration at all of the importance of maintaining public confidence in the administration of justice, both locally and internationally," the application continued.

"It is precisely when a case has attracted widespread attention that the court should be doubly careful to ensure that justice is seen to be done. Banning reporting because of public interest would only fuel distrust and suspicion."

Chow, along with two other Alliance leaders, Lee Cheuk-yan and Albert Ho Chun-yan are charged for allegedly inciting subversion. 

On Tuesday they appeared at the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts, where the case will be transferred to the Court of First Instance, where the maximum penalty for inciting subversion is 10 years in prison.

As Chow stepped out of the dock, she shouted, "Never forget June 4th, resist to the end."

Lee is also one of the Alliance leaders

However her fellow colleagues Lee and Ho only waved to the gallery, as people who have clapped before have been arrested and charged for "causing a nuisance".

This is what attending court has come to -- no outward expression is allowed.

Nevertheless, Chow is not giving up without a fight -- and thinking of any legal means to retain some kind of rule of law.

On June 4, there will be no public remembrances -- Victoria Park is apparently closed for repairs. The last two years no one was allowed to gather because of the pandemic.

What will the authorities think of next year?