Former Hong Kong Alliance Chair Lee Cheuk-yan Appeals Conviction and Sentence

（Rights Defense Network Information Center report）On October 9, 2026，this outlet learned：According to information on the Hong Kong Judiciary website，former Hong Kong Alliance chair Lee Cheuk-yan has appealed his conviction and sentence for “inciting subversion of state power”，and the hearing date has not yet been set。Co-defendant Chow Hang-tung had also previously filed an appeal。

On September 11, 2026，a Hong Kong court handed down its verdict in the Hong Kong Alliance case：Chow Hang-tung was sentenced to 7 months and 3 months、Lee Cheuk-yan to 7 years、and Albert Ho to 5 years and 2 months。

Lee Cheuk-yan biography：Born on February 14, 1957，his English name is Lee Cheuk-yan，his ancestral home is Chaoyang, Guangdong，he was born in Shanghai，grew up in Hong Kong，and is currently a citizen of the People’s Republic of China（Hong Kong），a Christian，former secretary-general of the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions，former member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong under British rule，former member of the Hong Kong Legislative Council，former member of the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals Advisory Board，former member of the University of Hong Kong Council，former chair of the Labour Party，former chair of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China（known as the Alliance or the Hong Kong Alliance），a political prisoner held in China。

In 1959，to escape the Chinese Communist Party’s “struggle sessions against the Five Black Categories”，his parents fled with the whole family to Hong Kong, carrying him in their arms，and he later attended the primary and secondary schools of Munsang College in Hong Kong，and studied civil engineering at the University of Hong Kong；after graduating from university in 1978，he joined the Occupational Health Centre in Kwun Tong under the United Christian Hospital，where he worked on publicizing information about occupational health and safety；in 1980，he moved to the Christian Industrial Committee，where he began handling labour disputes and organizing large-scale strikes；in 1990，he helped establish the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions，and was first elected as a Legislative Council member in a by-election in 1995，half a year later，he also secured a seat in the final Legislative Council election；from 1997 to 2012，he ran several times in direct elections in the New Territories West constituency for the Legislative Council，and was re-elected several times；from 1999 to 2006，because he advocated for the grassroots and workers’ rights on livelihood issues，supported the development of a democratic system politically，and opposed legislation under Article 23 of the 《Basic Law of Hong Kong》，among other things，he was named a “satisfactory-performing legislator” for three consecutive terms by the Hong Kong Catholic Monitoring Group of Legislative Council members；in 2007，he actively intervened in the strike by reinforcing bar workers and helped them seek reasonable treatment，and this led to the successful conclusion of a consensus between labour and management，with the employer agreeing to negotiate collectively with the union every year thereafter on workers’ pay and benefits；in 2010，he attended the June Fourth candlelight vigil at Victoria Park（known as Victoria Park）；in 2011，after democracy pioneer Szeto Wah died，he succeeded him as chair of the Alliance，and, together with Fernando Cheung、Cyd Ho and Leung Yiu-chung and other pro-democracy figures, founded the Labour Party，serving as its founding chair；in March、April and December 2012，he attended rallies organized by several groups and political parties to protest the Chief Executive election being limited to a small-circle election and to demand genuine universal suffrage in Hong Kong，and was sprayed with pepper spray by police，and, after twice moving motions under the 《Legislative Council (Powers and Privileges) Ordinance》 to investigate allegations that Leung Chun-ying had called for riot police to deal with protesters at an Executive Council meeting during the Chief Executive election，as well as a scandal involving unauthorized structures at his residence，the motions were strongly opposed by the pro-establishment camp，and both were voted down；on September 9 of the same year，in the Hong Kong Legislative Council election，he ran vigorously under the Labour Party banner and was re-elected as a directly elected Legislative Council member for New Territories West；from March 28 to May 6, 2013，he actively intervened in the strike at the Kwai Tsing Container Terminals in Hong Kong and helped the workers seek reasonable treatment，and was attacked and criticized by Hutchison Port Holdings and numerous tycoons；in April 2015，he said “if Hong Kong people accept the government’s fake universal suffrage, it will be even less possible to achieve genuine universal suffrage in the future”，and also said that he “did not agree with the government’s frequent claims that the Nominating Committee would take public opinion into account”，because the committee was selected by a small circle, and urged the public not to be deceived into accepting an election that was controlled and subject to screening，and in June of the same year, after he also attended the large march to mark the June Fourth crackdown, the Hong Kong authorities under the direction of the Chinese Communist Party expressed strong discontent and looked for opportunities to suppress him。

From 2015 to 2016，he repeatedly intervened in strikes by workers in construction and other industries who were trying to make a living, as well as protest marches organized by various civil society coalitions seeking to secure their right to survival，helping the strikes and protest actions achieve positive results to varying degrees；in 2016，he lost in the Hong Kong Legislative Council election when he again ran for the Labour Party in New Territories West，thereby ending his 21-year career in the legislature；in June 2018，as the Alliance’s secretary，marking the 29th anniversary of the June Fourth incident，he urged young people to “fight back together, regardless of identity, and resist authoritarianism on the mainland”，and said that if university students were absent from the June Fourth candlelight vigil in Victoria Park, it would weaken solidarity and the strength of the demands being made；on February 28, 2020，he was taken to Cheung Sha Wan Police Station for questioning for taking part in the “March of 100,000 Christians Praying for Sinners in Hong Kong” without approval from the Hong Kong police，and on April 18 of the same year, he and 14 other people, including former and current Legislative Council members and pan-democratic figures, were arrested by police on the grounds that they had participated in the “2019.8.18 Victoria Park flowing assembly”；on May 18 of the same year，the cases involving him and more than ten others were handled in three separate proceedings at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts，during which they were each granted temporary bail of HK$1,000 pending trial，but in April 2021 he was remanded in custody again；on April 16 of the same year，nine of them were sentenced by the West Kowloon court to terms ranging from 8 months to 1 year and 6 months for “taking part in and organizing an unauthorized assembly”，including a 1-year sentence for him，but because he was also involved with Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai in another assembly on August 31, 2019，his sentence was increased，and the court ultimately found him guilty of multiple offenses, including 「organizing an unauthorized assembly」 and 「inciting others to take part in an unauthorized assembly”，and sentenced him to 1 year and 8 months in prison in April 2021；around the same time，he and Chow Hang-tung were also accused of “conspiracy to subvert state power” under the Hong Kong version of the National Security Law，and were expected to face up to 10 years in prison；the case was then repeatedly adjourned，and on November 10, 2025，the trial in their “inciting subversion” case, which had been scheduled to begin the following day, was postponed again；on August 21, 2026，the two were found guilty by the Hong Kong High Court of “inciting subversion of state power”，and they and Albert Ho, who had earlier pleaded guilty to the same offense, were to be sentenced at a later date；on September 11，the case against the three was finally sentenced，and he was sentenced to 7 months in prison, while Chow Hang-tung and Albert Ho were sentenced to 7 years and 3 months and 5 years and 2 months, respectively，and the Alliance was fined HK$1.5 million；his sentence is due to end in September 2029。He is currently serving his sentence at Shek Pik Prison in Hong Kong。