China's Chilling Effect on Free Speech in Hong Kong The recent sentencing of three former leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China has sent a chilling message to the people of Hong Kong and beyond: dissent will not be tolerated.
The draconian sentences handed down by the High Court, ranging from five to seven years and three months, are a stark reminder of the erosion of civil liberties in the former British colony.
The charges against Lee Cheuk yan, Chow Hang tung, and Albert Ho Chun yan centered on their calls for an end to "one party dictatorship" in mainland China.