Hong Kong Watch commemorates Tiananmen Square massacre

Today, Hong Kong Watch marks the 37th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre and the seventh consecutive year where vigils in remembrance of the massacre are banned in Hong Kong. We stand in solidarity with pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong and around the world in commemorating this tragedy.

Hong Kong was once the only place under the People’s Republic of China’s administration where the Tiananmen Square massacre could be publicly commemorated. Since the imposition of the National Security Law in 2020 and the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance (also known as Article 23) in 2024, its annual candlelight vigil in Victoria Park has been prohibited and individuals have been arrested for organising and participating in memorial activities.

Last year, on the anniversary of the Tiananmen crackdown, at least two people were arrested and ten were taken away by Hong Kong police on suspicion of “breaching the peace,” for activities including holding an electric candle and flowers. Pro-democracy activists, including the Chair and Vice-Chair of the League of Social Democrats, were also intercepted and taken to a police station.

We also stand in solidarity with Chow Hang-tung and Lee Cheuk-yan, former leaders of the now-defunct Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, which organised the annual candlelight vigils for decades. They have been held in detention for over 1,700 days since their arrest in 2021 on charges of “inciting subversion” under the National Security Law, which carries a maximum sentence of ten years in prison. A verdict is expected in July.

Benedict Rogers, co-founder and Chair of Trustees of Hong Kong Watch, said:

“In fear of the truth, the Hong Kong authorities are once again attempting to whitewash history and suppress public commemorations of the Tiananmen Square massacre. What was once an open city where this tragedy was freely commemorated, Hong Kong has become a paranoid and fragile police state where flowers and candlelight may constitute subversion.

While those in Hong Kong are no longer able to publicly commemorate June Forth, it is the responsibility of those in free societies to ensure that the truth prevails, and that the courage and sacrifice of those who lost their lives in pursuit of a democratic future are never forgotten.”

六四卅七｜拒絕遺忘  守護「六四」真相責任落在自由社會身上

香港監察今日紀念天安門廣場大屠殺37週年，以及香港連續第七年禁止舉行「六四」燭光晚會。我們與香港以至世界各地的民運人士站在同一陣線，一同悼念這場悲劇。

香港曾經是中華人民共和國管轄下唯一可以公開悼念「六四」的地方。自2020年《國家安全法》和2024年《維護國家安全條例》（俗稱「23條」）實施以來，香港當局已禁止每年在維多利亞公園舉行的燭光晚會，並已拘捕組織及參與悼念活動的人士。

上年「六四」，香港警方拘捕至少兩人，並以涉嫌「破壞社會安寧」帶走十人，涉及行為包括手持電子蠟燭和鮮花。社民連主席和內務副主席等民運人士亦被截查並帶到警署。

我們亦聲援前支聯會副主席鄒幸彤和主席李卓人，支聯會現已解散，曾連續30年舉辦「六四」維園燭光晚會。兩人於2021年因《國安法》下「煽動顛覆國家政權」罪被捕，至今已被還押超過1,700日。案件預計7月宣判，最高可判十年監禁。

香港監察共同創辦人兼信託董事會主席羅傑斯（Benedict Rogers）表示：

「出於對真相的恐懼，香港當局再次企圖掩蓋歷史，打壓公眾『六四』悼念活動。香港曾經是可以自由悼念這場悲劇的開放城市，如今卻已變成多疑妄想、脆弱不堪的警察城市，在那裏鮮花和燭光都可能構成顛覆。

雖然身在香港的人已無法公開悼念『六四』，但身在自由社會的人有責任確保真相大白，並確保為追求民主未來而喪生者的勇氣和犧牲永遠不被遺忘。」

Photo: ryanne lai, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons