In a strongly worded statement on Saturday, a spokesman for the city’s government said the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, its former chairman Lee Cheuk-yan and its former vice-chairwoman Chow Hang-tung had received a fair trial and been found guilty of trying to undermine the fundamental system of the People’s Republic of China.
They were not prosecuted for their political beliefs, the spokesman stressed, rejecting assertions by Western countries that Friday’s verdict further demonstrated that freedom of expression was being eroded in the city.
The government condemned the “baseless slander and smearing” of the city by “various Western countries, anti-China media, organisations and politicians” over the case, he said.
“The court would only consider the laws and evidence relevant to the case to decide whether the prosecution is able to prove the charge beyond reasonable doubt,” the spokesman said.
Set up after the 1989 Tiananmen Square movement, the alliance organised the annual June 4 vigils in Victoria Park and called for ending “one-party dictatorship” in mainland China.