HK Police Slammed for Arresting People Remembering Tiananmen Square Massacre

‘The government’s shameful attempt to prohibit people from marking the upcoming anniversary is an insult to those killed in the Tiananmen crackdown.’

Vice-chairwoman of Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, Chow Hang Tung, poses with a candle ahead of the 32nd anniversary of the massacre of pro-democracy demonstrators at Beijing's Tiananmen Square in 1989, in Hong Kong, on June 3, 2021. Lam Yik/Reuters

Human rights organizations have slammed Hong Kong authorities for arresting six people, including Tonyee Chow Hang-tung, a well-known barrister and activist, for organizing remembrance activities ahead of the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre.

On May 28, Hong Kong police arrested six people aged 37 to 65 for allegedly “acting with seditious intention” under the recently adopted Article 23 legislation (Safeguarding National Security Ordinance)—a sweeping new security law that critics say Beijing has used to eliminate the city’s dwindling freedom.