A Hong Kong court sentenced three pro-democracy activists to prison terms ranging from five to more than seven years on Friday for inciting subversion under Beijing's national security law.

Lee Cheuk-yan, 69, received seven years in prison. Chow Hang-tung, 41, was sentenced to seven years and three months. Albert Ho, 74, who pleaded guilty earlier, received five years and two months. The three formerly led the now-disbanded Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, which organized large-scale annual vigils in Victoria Park to commemorate the victims of the Chinese Communist Party's 1989 crackdown on student protesters in Tiananmen Square.

The court convicted Lee and Chow last month of incitement to subversion after a trial that focused heavily on the alliance's long-standing call to "end one-party dictatorship." Judges ruled that the slogan and the group's activities amounted to inciting others to subvert state power. The alliance itself was fined HK$1.5 million.

The defendants had been charged in 2021 and held in custody since then. The case marks one of the final high-profile national security prosecutions tied to Hong Kong's once-vibrant pro-democracy movement. Public vigils for the Tiananmen events, long a symbol of the city's distinct freedoms under "one country, two systems," were effectively banned after the 2020 imposition of the national security law.

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee stated that the activists had sought to incite others to subvert state power and that the law prevents harm to the country under the guise of human rights or democracy. The sentencing underscores Beijing's determination to eliminate organized dissent in the territory through the sweeping national security framework.