‘No such meaning’: Demand for end to one-party rule not call to ‘overthrow’ CCP, Tiananmen vigil activist says

2026-03-17 - 23:32

A Tiananmen vigil activist standing trial in Hong Kong has taken the stand and denied that his demand for an end to one-party rule in China amounted to a call to overthrow the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Lee Cheuk-yan (centre), Albert Ho (second from left), and Chow Hang-tung (second from right) near Victoria Park on June 4, 2020. Photo: Supplied. Activist and former lawmaker Lee Cheuk-yan took the stand on Tuesday and said that he simply hoped the Chinese government would not use rule under a one-party system. Lee is on trial alongside fellow activists Chow Hang-tung and Albert Ho. They are former leaders of the now-disbanded Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, which organised decades of candlelight vigils to mark the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown in Beijing. The activists, along with the Alliance itself, are standing trial for inciting subversion under the Beijing-imposed national security law. The offence carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail. Lee and Chow have pleaded not guilty, while Ho has pleaded guilty. The case revolves around the Alliance’s key slogan calling for “an end to one-party rule” in China, which prosecutors allege amounts to a breach of the country’s constitution and incitement to subversion. Appearing before a designated three-judge panel at the West Kowloon Law Courts on Tuesday, Lee explained that the Alliance advocated for an end to one-party rule, as such a form of governance stood in opposition to democracy. ‘Obstacle to democracy’ He also said that basic civil rights, including freedom of speech, assembly, and the press, must be granted in order for civil society to organise and thrive. Only then would society at large be able to consider democratisation, he added. “The freedom that arises [from ending one-party rule] allows people to participate in society through their own independent groups and political organisations. If you can’t even speak up, how can you talk about democracy? One-party rule... is a very, very big obstacle to democracy,” Lee said. From left: Lee Cheuk-yan, Albert Ho, Chow Hang-tung. Photos: HKFP. “Once you have a civil society, be it the intellectuals, the students, workers, women, businesspeople, or farmers, they will be able to discuss what political system works best for China. There must be a foundation for discussion before they can enter the political system,” he added. Judge Alex Lee then asked the activist whether he meant to say that the CCP should not be in power. The defendant replied that he was opposed to one-party rule, not the CCP’s leadership. He believed the CCP could lead the nation if the people saw it fit, he added. But he also noted that the political authority in power under China’s one-party system, at the time of the Alliance’s formation, was indeed the CCP. “In actuality, [the Alliance] did not agree with the CCP’s one-party rule.” ‘No such meaning’ However, he said the Alliance’s call to “end one-party rule” did not imply an intention for the CCP to be overthrown. “There is absolutely no such meaning,” activist Lee said. He also said the Alliance had never formulated a plan to remove the party from power, adding that the group’s name indicated that it only “supported” democratisation and rights efforts in mainland China. The Alliance had only hoped to achieve an end to one-party rule through constitutional amendments, he added. West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts. File photo: Kelly Ho/HKFP. That prompted a question from Judge Johnny Chan, who asked how the Alliance would view the use of unlawful means to achieve an end to one-party rule, prompting the defendant to say he had “absolutely no idea” what could be considered legal in mainland China. “Someone could be convicted for offering a sacrifice of wine and sentenced to three years in prison. We don’t know what’s legal or illegal in mainland China. The freedom of speech we take for granted could land someone in prison there,” the activist said. He also said that the Alliance had always employed nonviolent means of protest, and that all of the vigils it held were approved by police, except in 2020, the year the vigil was banned due to Covid-19 social-distancing rules. Police had never told the Alliance that its demands had violated the national security law when authorities banned the vigil again in 2021, Lee added. Earlier on Tuesday, Lee Cheuk-yan also read from writings by Chinese communist leaders, including CCP founder Mao Zedong and former Chinese premier Zhao Ziyang. He said that Mao was opposed to one-party rule, while Zhao advocated for broader participation and involvement with democracy advocates, though with the CCP still in power. He read out a passage in which Zhao said: “We must be open to differing views from the democratic parties and be willing to accept criticism and supervision from all quarters, so as to pool wisdom, learn from others’ strengths to make up for our own weaknesses, overcome shortcomings, and minimise errors.”