A Hong Kong barrister was sentenced to 15 months in jail on Tuesday for using social media to incite people to attend a banned vigil remembering the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown.

Authorities last year, for the second time in a row, banned the city's annual June 4th memorial for the mainland Chinese student protesters who were killed in the violence. Police cited COVID-19 concerns, while critics argued it was part of a wider campaign to suppress memories of the event.

Chow Hang-tung, 36, who represented herself in court, was accused of incitement in connection with two articles published on Facebook and in a local newspaper, ahead of the 2021 commemoration.

In the newspaper article, the title of which said Hong Kong people "persevere in telling the truth," she concluded by writing, "At 8 p.m., I hope to see your candlelights," without specifying where.

In her defense, Chow had argued that the article called for candles to be lit anywhere -- not specifically at the vigil. She added that her detention restricted her freedom of speech.

But magistrate Amy Chan said in her judgment that Chow's acts were "calculated and planned, and that she was determined to attract as much public attention as possible, to exert influence and to leave a deep impression on other people."

Chow is already serving a 12-month sentence after she was found guilty last year with seven other activists, including media tycoon Jimmy Lai, for similar charges of attending and inciting others to join the unauthorized vigil in 2020.

The magistrate said 10 months of the new jail sentence would be served following her current term, totaling 22 months of imprisonment. Chan said the defendant had attempted to "divert attention and deny the facts" in her testimony.

Before being convicted, Chow read out testimonies from families of victims killed 32 years ago. She was stopped short by the magistrate, who said the court did not allow expressions of political views.

"The court needs to hear the voices the regime wants to bury with this case," Chow had said before being interrupted.

Hong Kong officials have been waging an aggressive campaign to stifle the memory of Tiananmen since Beijing imposed a national security law on the city in 2020.

The Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements, the group that led the vigils, disbanded last year after its leaders were arrested. Authorities froze 2.2 million Hong Kong dollars ($282,000) worth of assets following a raid of its June 4th exhibition. The group's leaders, including Chow, have also been charged with incitement to subvert the state under the sweeping security law.

Following the group's breakup, three Hong Kong universities removed memorials to the Tiananmen crackdown, including the iconic "Pillar of Shame" that had stood at the University of Hong Kong for 24 years. The disappearance of the statues, which universities said "posed legal and safety risks," sparked a barrage of global criticism.

Chow's sentencing also comes amid closures of independent news organizations in the international financial hub.

Citizen News, an online outlet, abruptly announced its decision to shut down on Monday and was to cease operations on Tuesday. This followed arrests of senior editors at another pro-democracy news organization, Stand News. Chris Yeung, chief writer of Citizen News, cited the worsening media environment and unknown "legal boundaries."

"We are completely unable to see clearly the lines of law enforcement and we are worried that we will breach the law," he told reporters.

Responding to the shutdown, Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam dismissed concerns over the erosion of press freedom and said decisions to close are unrelated.

"I strongly refute any allegations that this is related to the implementation of the national security law," she told reporters at her weekly news conference.