https://www.scmp.com/rss/162970/feed China was gripped by a pro-democracy movement in 1989, triggered by the death of reformist ex-leader Hu Yaobang. Mass street protests, weeks-long sit-ins and hunger strikes at Tiananmen Square by students and residents became the order of the day as demonstrators complained about corruption and demanded greater democracy as well as government transparency. The social unrest culminated in a brutal military crackdown on June 4 ordered by Beijing that effectively ended the movement and continues to... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Brian Wong Brian Wong A Hong Kong barrister turned activist on trial for allegedly inciting subversion has accused Beijing of undermining the nation’s constitutional order by entrenching one-party rule, describing the move as a regression. Chow Hang-tung told West Kowloon Court on Monday that mainland China took a step backwards in 2018 by amending the constitution to enshrine the Communist Party’s leadership in its main text at a time when the country was gradually heading towards constitutional democracy. She... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3347577/anti-china-activist-trial-subversion-calls-one-party-rule-regression?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3347577/anti-china-activist-trial-subversion-calls-one-party-rule-regression?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Mar 2026 08:49:47 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong A former Hong Kong lawmaker on trial for allegedly inciting subversion has denied abetting criminal activity by supporting mainland Chinese dissidents, accusing Beijing of levelling false charges against them. Prosecutors on Wednesday challenged Lee Cheuk-yan’s claim that he had no intention to incite others to overthrow the mainland’s communist rule when he called for an end to “one-party dictatorship” as former chairman of the now-disbanded Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3347061/former-hong-kong-lawmaker-denies-abetting-criminal-activity-mainland-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3347061/former-hong-kong-lawmaker-denies-abetting-criminal-activity-mainland-china?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Mar 2026 12:00:57 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong A former Hong Kong opposition politician has argued that China’s one-party rule system is incompatible with the country’s constitution and fails to safeguard people’s fundamental rights, as he defended his calls to end “dictatorship” in a high-profile subversion trial. Ex-lawmaker Lee Cheuk-yan, a former chairman of the now-disbanded Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, argued on Tuesday that calling for an end to “one-party dictatorship” in mainland China... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3346900/tiananmen-vigil-activist-trial-says-one-party-rule-contradicts-countrys-constitution?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3346900/tiananmen-vigil-activist-trial-says-one-party-rule-contradicts-countrys-constitution?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Mar 2026 10:36:25 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong Hong Kong prosecutors have argued that the national security trial of a now-disbanded alliance behind the Tiananmen Square vigil is neither politically motivated nor intended to punish dissidents, stressing that they will not ask the court to determine the merits of any campaign or criticism against Beijing. In his opening speech on Monday at West Kowloon Court, Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Ned Lai Ka-yee said the high-profile case against the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3341161/hong-kong-prosecutors-say-case-against-anti-china-activists-not-political-trial?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3341161/hong-kong-prosecutors-say-case-against-anti-china-activists-not-political-trial?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Jan 2026 10:24:24 +0000 Fiona Chow,Danny Mok Fiona Chow,Danny Mok A jailed activist has lost a judicial review against a Hong Kong Correctional Services Department (CSD) rule that prohibits female inmates from wearing shorts in summer, with the court ruling that the women’s standard prison uniform was carefully designed and did not constitute discrimination. High Court judge Russell Coleman said on Tuesday that there was “little merit” in Chow Hang-tung’s argument that the department’s clothing policy violated her right to equality. Under the existing rules,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3339778/hong-kong-activist-loses-legal-fight-over-prison-shorts-ban-female-inmates?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3339778/hong-kong-activist-loses-legal-fight-over-prison-shorts-ban-female-inmates?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Jan 2026 13:07:18 +0000 Rob York Rob York The new US national security strategy says a great deal about how the government imagines its foreign policy in the next few years but tells us just as much about communism and the US president’s view of it. Donald Trump has long had an unusual relationship with communism, in that he does not seem especially concerned by it. Yes, it’s true he does denounce “communists”, “socialists”, “radicals” and “the far left”, but he is rarely speaking about communist regimes opposed to US interests... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3336268/trump-only-communists-really-dislike-are-those-home?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3336268/trump-only-communists-really-dislike-are-those-home?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Dec 2025 12:30:08 +0000 Wang Xiangwei Wang Xiangwei As someone born in the 1960s in China, one of the earliest lessons our generation learned in school was to be vigilant about the perceived dangers of American conspiracies and attempts aimed at subverting and overthrowing the Communist Party through peaceful means. Through classroom teachings, propaganda films and slogans plastered prominently along the streets, we were repeatedly exposed to Chairman Mao Zedong’s warnings about the threat of “peaceful evolution”, encapsulated in his assertion... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3313380/thanks-trump-us-threat-peaceful-evolution-recedes-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3313380/thanks-trump-us-threat-peaceful-evolution-recedes-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Jun 2025 12:30:07 +0000 Jess Ma,Connor Mycroft,Joshua Kwok,Danny Mok Jess Ma,Connor Mycroft,Joshua Kwok,Danny Mok Hong Kong police officers arrested two people and took away 10 others on Wednesday as some residents brought flowers and candles to commemorate the 36th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown. The force said a mainland Chinese woman, 26, was spotted behaving suspiciously on Garden Road in Central during the day and was arrested for failing to produce an identity document, while a man, 24, was apprehended at night in Causeway Bay on suspicion of obstructing police officers. Police said the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3313077/7-taken-away-hong-kong-police-ramp-patrols-former-tiananmen-vigil-site?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3313077/7-taken-away-hong-kong-police-ramp-patrols-former-tiananmen-vigil-site?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Jun 2025 13:13:28 +0000 Yuanyue Dang Yuanyue Dang China has lodged a protest about US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s comments about the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. “These remarks maliciously distort historical facts, attack China’s political system and development path, and interfere in China’s internal affairs,” foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a regular press briefing on Wednesday. He added that China was “strongly dissatisfied” with and “firmly opposed” Rubio’s comments criticising the Communist Party’s crackdown on... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3313074/china-hits-out-marco-rubio-over-criticism-1989-tiananmen-square-crackdown?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3313074/china-hits-out-marco-rubio-over-criticism-1989-tiananmen-square-crackdown?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Jun 2025 12:33:13 +0000 Natalie Wong Natalie Wong Hong Kong authorities will take action against anyone who threatens national security, the chief executive has warned, as the 36th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown approaches. Asked about the legality of commemorating June 4 by lighting candles or wearing clothing with related slogans in Causeway Bay, where annual vigils had been held for decades, city leader John Lee Ka-chiu said all activities must comply with the law. “Any activity on any day must comply with legal requirements.... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3312835/hong-kong-will-take-action-against-illegal-acts-john-lee-says-ahead-june-4?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3312835/hong-kong-will-take-action-against-illegal-acts-john-lee-says-ahead-june-4?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Jun 2025 04:33:18 +0000 Natalie Wong Natalie Wong Books about the Tiananmen Square crackdown have become increasingly scarce in Hong Kong’s independent bookstores, with sellers citing widespread self-censorship fuelled by legal uncertainties surrounding the sale of politically sensitive titles under the national security laws. The disappearance of the books and the loss of the annual June 4 candlelight vigil in Victoria Park, combined with the city’s changed political environment, had contributed to turning commemoration into a private... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3312654/books-about-june-4-tiananmen-square-crackdown-grow-scarce-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3312654/books-about-june-4-tiananmen-square-crackdown-grow-scarce-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Jun 2025 01:30:23 +0000 Natalie Wong Natalie Wong Patriotic groups in Hong Kong will hold a government-backed carnival for the third consecutive year during the period running through the 36th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown, with the event set to return to the site where the annual candlelight vigils commemorating the tragedy used to be held. The five-day “Hometown Market”, featuring some 300 booths from 30 clansmen associations, will be held from June 1 to 5 at Victoria Park, where vigils were held annually on June 4 for three... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3311427/hong-kong-host-carnival-third-straight-year-former-tiananmen-vigil-site?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3311427/hong-kong-host-carnival-third-straight-year-former-tiananmen-vigil-site?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 May 2025 13:11:03 +0000 Vivian Au Vivian Au Hong Kong authorities will review how the national security law is enforced after the city’s top court overturned the convictions of three core members of a now-disbanded alliance behind an annual Tiananmen Square vigil. Deputy Secretary for Justice Horace Cheung Kwok-kwan weighed in on Saturday after the apex court quashed the convictions earlier in the week, marking the first successful legal challenge over the implementation rules of the Beijing-imposed national security law. “The legislation... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3301618/hong-kong-review-how-national-security-law-enforced-after-challenge-over-rules?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3301618/hong-kong-review-how-national-security-law-enforced-after-challenge-over-rules?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 08 Mar 2025 07:23:12 +0000 Fiona Chow Fiona Chow Judges at Hong Kong’s top court have questioned the grounds for convicting three core members of a now-disbanded alliance behind the city’s annual Tiananmen Square vigil for failing to help with a police investigation. The bench of five judges at the Court of Final Appeal heard on Wednesday that while the convictions stemmed from the police commissioner’s “reasonable belief” the group was a “foreign agent”, the justification for holding that view was not disclosed in the original trial. Under... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3293965/hong-kongs-top-court-questions-grounds-convicting-june-4-alliance-trio?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3293965/hong-kongs-top-court-questions-grounds-convicting-june-4-alliance-trio?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Jan 2025 15:15:03 +0000 The discovery of a subtle yet incendiary digital message buried deep within the source code of a University of Tokyo website has prompted an investigation into whether hackers sought to block access from China – or send a pointed political message. At the heart of the controversy is a block of text that reads “six four Tiananmen”, an unmistakable nod to the crackdown on protesters in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989. The hidden characters, written in kanji, were found embedded in the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3290079/did-tiananmen-hack-japans-tokyo-university-aim-block-access-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3290079/did-tiananmen-hack-japans-tokyo-university-aim-block-access-china?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Dec 2024 01:30:16 +0000 Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways has apologised and removed an episode of the animated American series Family Guy that references Tiananmen Square’s “Tank Man” from its in-flight entertainment system. In its reply to the Post on Tuesday night, Cathay Pacific apologised to affected customers after an internet user made a complaint on a social media page about content on the system that could potentially breach national security legislation. “We emphasise that the programme’s content... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3289257/hong-kongs-cathay-says-sorry-removes-family-guy-episode-tiananmen-tank-man-scene?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3289257/hong-kongs-cathay-says-sorry-removes-family-guy-episode-tiananmen-tank-man-scene?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Dec 2024 03:39:17 +0000 A Hong Kong court has dismissed a detained activist’s request to allow three dissidents involved in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and two others to testify remotely in her subversion trial next year. The High Court on Monday turned down Chow Hang-tung’s application after the prosecution urged the three presiding judges to “defer to” a government determination that barring witnesses from giving evidence in national security trials via a video link would be in the country’s interests. Chow, a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3284223/subversion-trial-judges-reject-hong-kong-activists-bid-have-5-people-testify-remotely?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3284223/subversion-trial-judges-reject-hong-kong-activists-bid-have-5-people-testify-remotely?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Oct 2024 15:45:53 +0000 Beijing’s top spy agency says it has identified a group of Taiwanese hackers it claims backed by Taipei’s defence ministry and is hacking websites on the mainland, Hong Kong and Macau to “defame” mainland China’s political system. A hacker group called Anonymous64 is “a cyber army raised by the ‘Taiwan independence’ forces”, according to an article published by the Ministry of State Security on its official public WeChat account on Monday morning. The “forces” referred to by Beijing’s top... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3279634/mainland-china-says-anonymous64-cyber-army-targeting-beijing-backed-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3279634/mainland-china-says-anonymous64-cyber-army-targeting-beijing-backed-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Sep 2024 10:04:07 +0000 A naturalised US citizen from China has been arrested on charges of acting as an unregistered agent for Beijing and for lying to the FBI after he allegedly ran a pro-democracy civic group while providing intelligence on dissidents to the Ministry of State Security (MSS). Arraigned in federal court in New York on Wednesday, Yuanjun Tang, 67, faces up to 20 years in prison, charged with one count of acting as an agent of a foreign government without notifying the US Attorney General, one count of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3275538/us-charges-former-chinese-democracy-advocate-being-illegal-agent-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3275538/us-charges-former-chinese-democracy-advocate-being-illegal-agent-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Aug 2024 17:57:52 +0000 A Hong Kong activist detained under the national security law has mounted a legal challenge against a decision by prison authorities to withhold four books from her over allegations the texts had “biased” depictions of social events and promoted “violent resistance”. Chow Hang-tung’s legal team argued in a written application for a judicial review that the ban was marred by a disproportionate restriction of her freedom to receive and impart information, as well as irregularities in the appeal... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3272671/detained-hong-kong-activist-mounts-legal-challenge-against-prisons-book-ban?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3272671/detained-hong-kong-activist-mounts-legal-challenge-against-prisons-book-ban?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 31 Jul 2024 11:06:30 +0000 Two activists from a now-dissolved group behind Hong Kong’s annual Tiananmen Square vigil have claimed they were denied early release from prison in a national security case for being “unremorseful”. Tang Ngok-kwan and Tsui Hon-kwong said on Wednesday the Correctional Services Department had decided to push back their release dates by 1½ months after considering a requirement under the city’s domestic national security law. The pair, who were standing committee members of the Hong Kong Alliance... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3272618/2-hong-kong-tiananmen-vigil-activists-say-they-were-denied-early-release-being-unremorseful?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3272618/2-hong-kong-tiananmen-vigil-activists-say-they-were-denied-early-release-being-unremorseful?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 31 Jul 2024 08:00:29 +0000 A former senior Hong Kong prosecutor has lodged a legal challenge to his dismissal over remarks made in two emails that accused police of lying and invited colleagues to observe the June 4 Tiananmen Square vigil. William Wong Wa-fun, in a writ made public on Friday, asked the High Court for a judicial review against the civil service’s decision to fire him and strip him of pension entitlements built up over almost 30 years after a disciplinary panel found him guilty of misconduct in July... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3265842/fired-hong-kong-prosecutor-accuses-disciplinary-hearing-bias-towards-civil-service?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3265842/fired-hong-kong-prosecutor-accuses-disciplinary-hearing-bias-towards-civil-service?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Jun 2024 11:55:13 +0000 China’s foreign ministry arm in Hong Kong has slammed Western diplomats’ “provocations” and “poor political theatrics” after at least five envoys made a surprise appearance at Victoria Park on the 35th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown. An office spokesman denounced the European Union delegation to Hong Kong, as well as the British, US and other countries’ consulates in the city, saying some external forces were going against the tide and stubbornly stirring up issues that had... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3265433/poor-political-theatricals-beijings-foreign-ministry-arm-hong-kong-hits-out-western-diplomats?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3265433/poor-political-theatricals-beijings-foreign-ministry-arm-hong-kong-hits-out-western-diplomats?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Jun 2024 04:57:07 +0000 An activist popularly known as “Grandma Wong” was released on bail on Wednesday after she was arrested on suspicion of sedition for chanting slogans on the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown the day before. A source said 78-year-old Alexandra Wong Fung-yiu, known by her Cantonese nickname “Wong Po Po”, was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of committing sedition-related offences under the domestic national security law for chanting slogans on Causeway Bay’s Yee Wo Street. Another... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3265413/hong-kong-suspect-released-bail-after-arrests-anniversary-tiananmen-square-crackdown?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3265413/hong-kong-suspect-released-bail-after-arrests-anniversary-tiananmen-square-crackdown?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Jun 2024 02:15:17 +0000 Washington marked the anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown with a series of events and statements on Tuesday, urging Beijing to release political prisoners and hold itself accountable for alleged human rights abuses. “Today, on the 35th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, we remember the tens of thousands of peaceful Chinese pro-democracy protesters who were brutally assaulted for standing up for freedom, human rights and an end to corruption,” said US Secretary of State... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3265404/washington-uses-tiananmen-square-commemorations-invoke-current-human-rights-issues?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3265404/washington-uses-tiananmen-square-commemorations-invoke-current-human-rights-issues?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Jun 2024 21:38:30 +0000 For three decades, Hong Kong served as the only place on Chinese soil where large-scale peaceful demonstrations were organised annually on June 4 to remember those killed in the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. The anniversary vigil, held at Victoria Park, was attended by tens of thousands of residents, serving both as a visual spectacle with its sea of candles and a spiritual anchor for the occasion. But starting in 2020, the authorities denied requests to stage the event for two years,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3265376/remembering-tiananmen-crackdown-what-has-happened-hong-kongs-tradition-commemorating-june-4?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3265376/remembering-tiananmen-crackdown-what-has-happened-hong-kongs-tradition-commemorating-june-4?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Jun 2024 11:13:46 +0000 A Hong Kong bookstore selling candles for HK$6.4 (81 US cents) and displaying signs that read “35/5” attracted a constant stream of visitors keen to catch a glimpse of the apparent references to the 35th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown on Tuesday. Hunter Bookstore in Sham Shui Po caught the attention of some residents after it posted on Instagram that police officers had stood outside the store for an hour on Sunday afternoon to check the ID cards of shoppers, with the news... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3265373/hong-kong-bookstore-draws-stream-visitors-hk64-candles-35/5-displays-anniversary-tiananmen-crackdown?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3265373/hong-kong-bookstore-draws-stream-visitors-hk64-candles-35/5-displays-anniversary-tiananmen-crackdown?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Jun 2024 10:49:14 +0000 At least five Western diplomats, including European Union office deputy head Matthias Kaufmann, made a surprise appearance on Tuesday night at Hong Kong’s Victoria Park, which previously hosted candlelight vigils marking the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown. In response, the Hong Kong government stressed in a statement that some rights and freedoms could be restricted in accordance with the law in order to protect national security, public safety and order. “If someone violates the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3265360/2-hongkongers-taken-away-police-step-presence-35th-anniversary-tiananmen-square-crackdown?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3265360/2-hongkongers-taken-away-police-step-presence-35th-anniversary-tiananmen-square-crackdown?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Jun 2024 09:46:12 +0000 Western consulates in Hong Kong have created social media posts to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown amid uncertainty about public acts of remembrance. The UK, US, Canadian and Australian consulates all issued statements or posted images to their social media accounts to mark the event by midafternoon on Tuesday. “Canada joins Hong Kong and the international community in solemn remembrance of the tragic events of [June 4], 1989,” the Canadian consulate said in a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3265341/western-diplomats-hong-kong-mark-tiananmen-square-crackdown-anniversary-amid-uncertainty-over-acts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3265341/western-diplomats-hong-kong-mark-tiananmen-square-crackdown-anniversary-amid-uncertainty-over-acts?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Jun 2024 08:50:42 +0000 Tuesday’s anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown continues to hold deep meaning for many Hong Kong people 35 years on. A candlelight vigil, attended by tens of thousands, marked the occasion for three decades. The event allowed participants to mourn the young lives lost when student-led protests were crushed in Beijing. It was also one of the best-known symbols of Hong Kong’s enduring freedoms. But times have changed. Civil unrest in 2019 was followed by Beijing’s passing of a national... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3265249/door-still-open-lawful-hong-kong-remembrance-june-4-crackdown?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3265249/door-still-open-lawful-hong-kong-remembrance-june-4-crackdown?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Jun 2024 00:15:08 +0000 Hundreds of Hong Kong police officers will be on the lookout on Tuesday for activities commemorating the Tiananmen Square crackdown, including any attempts by individuals that could incite social unrest, the Post has learned. Police had already ramped up their presence at sensitive locations on the eve of the 35th anniversary of the crackdown, with officers taking away artist Sanmu Chen, seconds after he started making hand gestures on East Point Road in Causeway Bay on Monday. Sources said the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3265152/hong-kong-police-arrest-eighth-suspect-first-sedition-case-under-new-domestic-security-law?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3265152/hong-kong-police-arrest-eighth-suspect-first-sedition-case-under-new-domestic-security-law?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Jun 2024 06:28:10 +0000 It will be considered acceptable for Hong Kong residents to mark the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown in private, two top government advisers have told the Post. But one of them said on Sunday that any public commemorations of the 1989 incident in the near future were unlikely. Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, convenor of the government’s key decision-making Executive Council, said she did not see a problem if individuals commemorated events away from the public eye. “Both the offences of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3265076/hongkongers-can-mark-tiananmen-square-crackdown-private-without-breaching-article-23-national?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3265076/hongkongers-can-mark-tiananmen-square-crackdown-private-without-breaching-article-23-national?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 02 Jun 2024 10:27:41 +0000 Police have made their first arrests under Hong Kong’s new domestic national security legislation by detaining six people for allegedly publishing seditious materials linked to the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown with the aim of inciting hatred of the local and central governments. Among those detained was activist Chow Hang-tung, who is in prison for another offence, Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung revealed at a press briefing on Tuesday afternoon. The force’s National Security... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3264415/5-women-and-man-arrested-under-hong-kongs-new-domestic-security-law-first-time-its-passing-march?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3264415/5-women-and-man-arrested-under-hong-kongs-new-domestic-security-law-first-time-its-passing-march?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 May 2024 08:57:23 +0000 A pro-Beijing community group in Hong Kong has applied to host a food carnival on June 4 at Victoria Park, the former location of annual candlelight vigils to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown for three decades. If the event is approved, it will be the fifth straight year since 2019 that a police-authorised candlelight vigil has not been held in the Causeway Bay park to mark the June 4 crackdown in Beijing. The Federation of Hong Kong Guangdong Community Organisations last year... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3260585/hong-kong-pro-beijing-group-applies-hold-food-carnival-june-4-citys-victoria-park-former-site-annual?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3260585/hong-kong-pro-beijing-group-applies-hold-food-carnival-june-4-citys-victoria-park-former-site-annual?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Apr 2024 15:44:55 +0000 A Hong Kong court has dismissed an appeal by three core members of a now-disbanded alliance behind the city’s annual Tiananmen Square vigil over their conviction and sentence for failing to help a police investigation into the group’s suspected violation of the national security law. The trio from the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China were convicted last year for rejecting a police request for details about group members, donors, financial reports and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3255438/hong-kong-court-dismisses-appeal-3-core-members-now-disbanded-tiananmen-vigil-alliance-police-probe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3255438/hong-kong-court-dismisses-appeal-3-core-members-now-disbanded-tiananmen-vigil-alliance-police-probe?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Mar 2024 16:59:46 +0000 The “two sessions”, the annual meetings of China’s top legislative and political advisory bodies, concluded on Monday without the much-anticipated press conference hosted by the country’s premier, discontinuing a customary practice that was established in the early 1990s. According to the official explanation, the press conference at the close of this year’s National People’s Congress (NPC) was cancelled because there was already sufficient information from lawmakers, ministers and policy... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3254965/why-i-miss-chinese-premiers-annual-press-conference-close-countrys-two-sessions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3254965/why-i-miss-chinese-premiers-annual-press-conference-close-countrys-two-sessions?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Mar 2024 23:00:14 +0000 Hong Kong theatre veteran Octavian Chan has started work on his next drama production and said he took more care than usual to ensure it would go without a hitch. The director admitted he was concerned about the Arts Development Council’s recent decision to pull funding for the Hong Kong Federation of Drama Societies’ annual awards ceremony. “I simply don’t want to give others the opportunity to accuse me of treading on a red line,” Chan said. After 15 years in the arts scene and a reputation as... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3251139/funding-cuts-cancelled-shows-leave-hong-kong-arts-groups-guessing-about-red-lines-caused-national?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3251139/funding-cuts-cancelled-shows-leave-hong-kong-arts-groups-guessing-about-red-lines-caused-national?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Feb 2024 01:00:26 +0000 When people enter the All Sages Bookstore in Beijing, the first thing they see is the shop slogan “liberation through reading”. Going deeper into the bookshelves, they will see book categories labelled “freedom, democracy and constitutionalism”. In the corner of the bookstore are baskets of flowers, including some from dissidents previously convicted by Chinese authorities, to celebrate its recent relocation. The scene may appear jarring in 2024, around a decade into a fight against perceived... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3247452/liberation-through-reading-all-sages-bookstore-finds-new-location-keeps-unique-place-among-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3247452/liberation-through-reading-all-sages-bookstore-finds-new-location-keeps-unique-place-among-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Jan 2024 02:00:16 +0000 A Hong Kong court has cited an activist’s “conduct and statements” made after the adoption of the national security law in denying her bail before a trial relating to her role as vice-chairwoman of an umbrella group behind the city’s annual Tiananmen Square vigil. Mr Justice Andrew Chan Hing-wai on Thursday told the High Court he was not satisfied that Chow Hang-tung would not commit further national security offences if she was granted temporary release. “Given the applicant’s past conduct and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3245868/hong-kong-court-cites-activists-conduct-and-statements-after-adoption-national-security-law-denying?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3245868/hong-kong-court-cites-activists-conduct-and-statements-after-adoption-national-security-law-denying?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Dec 2023 07:27:32 +0000 Three core members of a now-dissolved alliance behind Hong Kong’s Tiananmen Square vigil have been denied a fair trial, a senior counsel has argued in an appeal seeking to overturn their convictions for refusing to assist police in a national security investigation. Philip Dykes on Wednesday said his side had been “fatally handicapped” while defending the accused because investigators had not given them the evidence they had suggesting the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3244105/senior-counsel-argues-3-members-hong-kong-tiananmen-square-vigil-group-were-denied-fair-trial-seeks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3244105/senior-counsel-argues-3-members-hong-kong-tiananmen-square-vigil-group-were-denied-fair-trial-seeks?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Dec 2023 12:28:04 +0000 When I read about the draft legal amendment to ban clothing and symbols that are “detrimental to the spirit” of the nation or “hurt the feelings” of the Chinese people, I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry. Part of the five-year legislative plan released by the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, China’s top legislative body, the proposed amendment to the Public Security Administration Punishments Law could see offenders detained for up to 15 days and fined up to 5,000 yuan... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3234149/china-banning-clothes-hurt-national-feelings-would-be-stitch-too-far?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3234149/china-banning-clothes-hurt-national-feelings-would-be-stitch-too-far?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Sep 2023 19:00:14 +0000 A Hong Kong court has jailed a mainland Chinese student for six months for sedition over a plan to display a large image of a sculpture created to commemorate the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. Zeng Yuxuan, 23, was on Tuesday back at West Kowloon Court to be sentenced for attempting or preparing to commit a seditious act, a day after she admitted the offence. Principal Magistrate Peter Law Tak-chuen said Zeng’s scheme to unfurl the nine-metre-tall (29-foot-tall) banner on the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3234260/student-jailed-6-months-over-plan-unfurl-banner-featuring-hong-kong-sculpture-created-mark-tiananmen?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3234260/student-jailed-6-months-over-plan-unfurl-banner-featuring-hong-kong-sculpture-created-mark-tiananmen?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Sep 2023 08:45:42 +0000 A student from mainland China has admitted breaching Hong Kong’s colonial-era sedition law by planning to display a giant banner criticising police’s seizure of a sculpture remembering the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. Zeng Yuxuan, also known as Annika Tsang, pleaded guilty on Monday to attempting or preparing to commit a seditious act, after she arranged for the nine-meter-tall (29-foot-tall) lithograph to be unfurled in a crowded district with the help of a former student... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3234168/mainland-chinese-student-admits-sedition-hong-kong-over-plan-hang-banner-criticising-seizure?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3234168/mainland-chinese-student-admits-sedition-hong-kong-over-plan-hang-banner-criticising-seizure?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Sep 2023 13:19:14 +0000 Hong Kong’s security chief has slammed what he says is a common tactic of using “artistic creations” to endanger national security, but has stopped short of confirming whether a Danish sculptor is on a wanted list. Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung made the comments in a letter disclosed to the media by Danish artist Jens Galschiot, who created the Pillar of Shame piece marking the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. Galschiot had earlier this month written to local authorities seeking... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3231897/hong-kong-security-chief-slams-artistic-creations-used-guise-endanger-national-security-does-not?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3231897/hong-kong-security-chief-slams-artistic-creations-used-guise-endanger-national-security-does-not?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Aug 2023 07:38:18 +0000 Yan Mingfu, a former political heavyweight of China’s ruling Communist Party best remembered for mediating between Beijing and student protesters before the bloody crackdown in Tiananmen Square in 1989, has died aged 91. Yan died in Beijing on Monday morning “due to illnesses”, according to an announcement by his family sent to their friends and seen by the South China Morning Post. They said a simple memorial ceremony would be organised to commemorate him in the coming days but did not give... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3226395/yan-mingfu-chinese-communist-party-negotiator-tiananmen-square-protesters-1989-dies-aged-92?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3226395/yan-mingfu-chinese-communist-party-negotiator-tiananmen-square-protesters-1989-dies-aged-92?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Jul 2023 09:24:40 +0000 More than 6,000 police officers will be deployed around the city on Saturday to guard against trouble as Hong Kong marks the 26th anniversary of its return to Chinese rule, the Post has learned. Sources familiar with the massive operation said there would be about 1,000 officers more than were mobilised for the 34th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown on June 4. A police insider said the recent spate of knife attacks was one of the reasons for the show of force, as well as the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3226152/hong-kong-police-ring-steel-planned-deter-trouble-july-1-commemoration-26th-anniversary-citys-return?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3226152/hong-kong-police-ring-steel-planned-deter-trouble-july-1-commemoration-26th-anniversary-citys-return?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Jun 2023 10:30:56 +0000 The University of Hong Kong (HKU) said it wanted to clamp down on behaviour that brings it into “disrepute”, but failed to give a definition of the sort of conduct that could land students in hot water. But representatives of students, staff and graduates said on Wednesday the proposed statute, to come into force on October 20 if approved by lawmakers, would damage what should be an open and inquiring environment. Casey Chik Yau-hong, an undergraduate representative, said the amendment was vague... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3225817/university-hong-kong-plans-clamp-down-behaviour-brings-it-disrepute-criticised-staff-students?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3225817/university-hong-kong-plans-clamp-down-behaviour-brings-it-disrepute-criticised-staff-students?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Jun 2023 16:35:28 +0000 Hong Kong’s highest court has allowed the justice department to appeal against a judge’s decision to acquit an activist of incitement over alleged calls to join an unauthorised assembly to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. Three Court of Final Appeal judges on Thursday ruled that Chow Hang-tung’s case involved two legal points of “great and general importance”, the test for a successful appeal request. Chow, 38, was jailed for 15 months in January last year after a magistrate... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3223358/hong-kongs-top-court-allows-appeal-against-decision-acquit-tiananmen-vigil-group-member-incitement?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3223358/hong-kongs-top-court-allows-appeal-against-decision-acquit-tiananmen-vigil-group-member-incitement?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Jun 2023 06:25:54 +0000 A Hong Kong polling organisation on Tuesday said it had cancelled the release of a survey of public opinion about the 34th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown after a government official told them not to make it public because of a “risk assessment” by the administration. Robert Chung Ting-Yiu, the president and chief executive officer of The Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute (Pori) said the organisation had not decided on how to handle this year’s survey report. He added the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3223171/hong-kong-pollster-cancels-release-annual-survey-public-opinion-tiananmen-square-crackdown-after?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3223171/hong-kong-pollster-cancels-release-annual-survey-public-opinion-tiananmen-square-crackdown-after?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Jun 2023 13:00:56 +0000 The UN on Monday said it was alarmed over Hong Kong detentions of people who tried to mark the 34th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown at the weekend. But the Chinese foreign ministry dismissed the criticism and said it was an attempt to “smear China and interfere in its internal affairs” that would not succeed. The war of words broke out after police detained a total of 32 people over the weekend in connection with the June 4 anniversary – eight on Saturday and 24 on Sunday. There... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3223031/hong-kong-and-mainland-chinese-authorities-pour-cold-water-un-criticism-handling-tiananmen-square?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3223031/hong-kong-and-mainland-chinese-authorities-pour-cold-water-un-criticism-handling-tiananmen-square?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Jun 2023 14:37:44 +0000