A dozen Hong Kong activists, including a former chief executive candidate and the former head of the city’s biggest protest group, have pleaded guilty to charges related to a vigil last year to commemorate the Tiananmen Square crackdown.
Albert Ho, a former Democratic Party leader who sought the city’s top office in 2012, and Figo Chan, ex-convener of the Civil Human Rights Front, were among seven defendants who pleaded guilty in District Court on Thursday to taking part in the banned protest and inciting others to do so. Another five, including former lawmakers Leung "Long Hair” Kwok-hung, Cyd Ho and Yeung Sum, pleaded guilty to a single charge of taking part in the June 4, 2020, gathering.
"No matter how they suppress us, freedom will bloom,” Chan said during the hearing. "Democracy will triumph and return.”