A Hong Kong court has sentenced three pro-democracy activists to between five and seven years in prison for their roles in organising annual vigils commemorating China's 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown.

Lee Cheuk-yan, 69, received a seven-year sentence. Chow Hang-tung, 41, was sentenced to seven years and three months. Albert Ho, 74, who pleaded guilty in January, received five years and two months. The sentences are expected to include time already served.

The three were leaders of the now-disbanded Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, which for three decades organised what was the only large-scale public commemoration of the Tiananmen crackdown held anywhere in Chinese territory. The group also received a fine of HK$1.5 million (approximately $191,000).

Lee and Chow were convicted in August of inciting subversion under Hong Kong's national security law, after pleading not guilty. Both have been held in custody since they were charged in 2021. Ho pleaded guilty and received a lighter sentence as a result.

Three government-approved judges described the offence as serious in nature. The court highlighted the alliance's longstanding slogan calling for an "end to one-party dictatorship," ruling that it implied an intent to undermine the legitimacy of Communist Party rule. The verdict noted that while the case involved no violence and the defendants had proposed no timetable or means for achieving their stated goal, the offence occurred during a turbulent social atmosphere, which the court said posed a greater risk to national security.

The court rejected arguments that the defendants believed they were acting within the law, given Hong Kong's freedoms of speech, which have been severely curtailed since Beijing imposed the national security law in 2020.

Annual vigils at Victoria Park had drawn tens of thousands of participants each year for decades. Organisers said some gatherings attracted more than 100,000 people, though police estimates were lower. The vigils were banned in 2020, initially under Covid-19 restrictions, and never resumed after the national security law came into force.

Hundreds and possibly thousands of people were killed when military tanks and troops moved into central Beijing in June 1989 to crush student-led pro-democracy protests. The subject remains heavily censored in mainland China.

As the sentencing session began, Lee and Chow stood and smiled at a packed public gallery. After the sentences were handed down, Lee appeared to pray as he was led from the dock, while Chow blew a kiss to supporters in the gallery. Chow, a barrister who represented herself, also raised both arms and waved at supporters as she was escorted out.

Lee's wife, Elizabeth Tang, told reporters outside the court that it was a "sad day" and that the sentence was "really unacceptable." She confirmed Lee intends to appeal. "There's no freedom of speech in Hong Kong and the sentences would shock and anger many people," she said. "The sentence is also a punishment for many other people. It's very hard to accept."

Chow's mother, Medina Chow, addressed supporters gathered outside the court. "For today's verdict, you do not need to be overly saddened. Do not lose heart. And above all, do not feel guilty," she said. A friend of Chow confirmed she also plans to appeal.

The convictions drew condemnation from rights organisations, foreign governments, and the United Nations. Amnesty International's Deputy Regional Director Sarah Brooks said: "This sentencing is a triple tragedy: for the activists being unjustly punished; the survivors and victims of the Tiananmen crackdown itself; and the generations of Hongkongers denied the space to discuss one of the most consequential events in modern Chinese history."

Human Rights Watch said in a statement: "The harsh sentences against peaceful Tiananmen vigil organisers expose the cruelty and insecurity of a government afraid of memory and the people."

Germany and France had previously condemned the verdict against Chow, stating that "peaceful advocacy for human rights does not constitute a crime." Chow was the recipient of the Franco-German Human Rights Award in 2023. Taiwan's government also condemned the verdicts, with its Mainland Affairs Council saying authorities had "fabricated charges and conducted political trials in the name of national security to shield an authoritarian regime."

The case is among the most prominent brought under the national security law, which Beijing imposed on Hong Kong in 2020 following mass pro-democracy protests the previous year. In February, former pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai was sentenced to 20 years in prison under the same law. Hong Kong authorities maintain the law is necessary to maintain stability.