The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government on Saturday strongly denounced the baseless slanders and smearing against the city by external forces after the High Court of the SAR convicted the anti-China Hong Kong Alliance and two of its former leaders for inciting subversion.

Describing Friday’s court verdict as “forceful, compelling, well‑reasoned and sound”, the HKSAR government said the ruling has meticulously explained the court’s analysis of the relevant legal principles and evidence, as well as the reasons for the conviction.

The court found the now-defunct alliance, its former chairman Lee Cheuk-yan and vice-chairperson Chow Hang-tung guilty of inciting subversion by stirring up public hatred against the Communist Party of China and advocating an end to the Party’s leadership. Another of the group’s former chairman, Albert Ho Chun-yan, had pleaded guilty to the same charge in January this year.

Expressing strong dissatisfaction with and firm opposition to the baseless slanders and smearing perpetrated by various Western countries, anti-China media, organizations and politicians following the judgment, the SAR government said the reasons for the court’s verdict have clearly emphasized that the defendants were put on trial not because of their political views or beliefs.

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“The court would only consider the laws and evidence relevant to the case to decide whether the prosecution is able to prove the charge beyond reasonable doubt,” a government spokesman said in a statement.

Pointing out that the constitution is the fundamental law of the State, forming the most important part of the constitutional order of the HKSAR, the spokesman said no country’s constitution would allow citizens to subvert the nation’s constitutional order and fundamental system established by the constitution.

Referring to the court’s ruling that the defendants had all along been hostile towards the CPC and the central government under its leadership, the spokesman said the defendants had refused to pull back from the brink and were bent on embracing the alliance’s resistance line to the very end even after the HKSAR’s National Security Law was implemented on June 30, 2020.

“Although the defendants knew that what they had said and done might have already gone beyond the scope of lawful freedom of expression, they paid no regard to it,” the statement said. To achieve the objective of undermining the fundamental system of the People’s Republic of China, the defendants intended to cause others to lose confidence in the CPC by stirring up hostility and causing division, and “their conspiracy was abundantly clear, which must be brought to justice”, it said.

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights expressly states that some rights and freedoms, including freedom of speech, may be subject to restrictions if necessary for protection of national security, public safety, public order or the rights and freedoms of others, it added.

Urging members of the public not to be misled by external forces’ attempts to smear the HKSAR, the statement said they must be able to distinguish between right and wrong, and “clearly understand the difference between this case and the normal situation regarding the exercise of freedoms of association, assembly and speech”.

Stressing that Hong Kong is a society underpinned by the rule of law, the SAR government reiterated it will resolutely combat acts and activities endangering national security. “Hong Kong residents must clearly recognize the fact that incitement to subversion is an extremely serious offense,” the spokesman said.