https://www.scmp.com/rss/305742/feed June 4 marks the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 and has become a day of peaceful demonstrations in Hong Kong. In early 1989, students in Beijing led demonstrations against China's central government calling for greater freedoms. In the early hours of June 4, the military moved in to remove the demonstrators. An unconfirmed number of unarmed civilians were killed in the crackdown. 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 Two former leaders of a now-disbanded alliance behind Hong Kong’s annual Tiananmen Square vigil have a case to answer in a high-profile trial after judges ruled the evidence supported prosecutors’ allegations that the activists incited others to overthrow the Communist Party of China leadership. Three High Court judges on Friday found that the evidence appeared to suggest Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung committed a subversion offence as leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3346478/2-tiananmen-vigil-activists-have-case-answer-subversion-trial-court-rules?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3346478/2-tiananmen-vigil-activists-have-case-answer-subversion-trial-court-rules?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Mar 2026 07:16:52 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong A disbanded alliance behind Hong Kong’s Tiananmen Square vigil had only intended to promote democracy and greater political freedom when it advocated the abolition of the mainland’s one-party rule, a defence lawyer has said in a high-profile national security trial. Defence counsel Erik Shum Sze-man on Wednesday said ending the Communist Party of China’s one-party rule would have been a solution to the political crisis after Beijing’s military crackdown on pro-democracy protests on June 4,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3342331/defence-argues-tiananmen-vigil-activists-actions-lawful-exercise-rights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3342331/defence-argues-tiananmen-vigil-activists-actions-lawful-exercise-rights?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Feb 2026 05:45:09 +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 Brian Wong Brian Wong A former vice-chairman of the group behind Hong Kong’s annual Tiananmen Square vigil is facing up to 10 years in jail after he admitted to advocating an end to Communist Party rule in mainland China in breach of the national security law. Former opposition lawmaker Albert Ho Chun-yan, 74, on Thursday pleaded guilty to inciting subversion by promoting an end to “one-party dictatorship”, one of the five operational objectives of the now-disbanded Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3340795/hong-kongs-tiananmen-vigil-activist-admits-subversion-2-deny-national-security-charges?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3340795/hong-kongs-tiananmen-vigil-activist-admits-subversion-2-deny-national-security-charges?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Jan 2026 05:59:34 +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 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 Beijing’s passing of a national security law for Hong Kong in 2020 established new crimes, institutions and procedures. Five years on, with many cases proceeding, the implementation of the law is still at a relatively early stage. Lessons can be learned and improvements made. The Court of Final Appeal highlighted one area deserving attention last week. Three former senior members of the now-disbanded Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China won their appeals... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3302297/judgments-reflect-independence-and-impartiality-hong-kongs-courts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3302297/judgments-reflect-independence-and-impartiality-hong-kongs-courts?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Mar 2025 22:15:07 +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 Hong Kong’s top court has quashed the convictions of three core members of a now-disbanded alliance behind the city’s annual Tiananmen Square vigil after they were jailed for failing to help with a police investigation. The Court of Final Appeal on Thursday overturned the lower courts’ decisions by ruling that the trio from the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China were deprived of a fair trial. In response, the government said it would study the judgment and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3301280/hong-kongs-top-court-overturns-convictions-tiananmen-vigil-activists?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3301280/hong-kongs-top-court-overturns-convictions-tiananmen-vigil-activists?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Mar 2025 07:34:34 +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 Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification Sad to say, but school bullying and the tall poppy syndrome are being practised, spreading perniciousness straight into the heart and soul of the University of Hong Kong. I came face to face with... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3266453/hku-councils-bullying-behaviour-needs-be-stood?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3266453/hku-councils-bullying-behaviour-needs-be-stood?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Jun 2024 03:30:09 +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 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 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 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 Hong Kong’s top Catholic priest has called on residents to “proactively forgive” those who inflicted wounds during the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown and move on from “the dark space of unending sadness and resentments” caused by the event for the sake of “reconciliation and healing”. Cardinal Stephen Chow Sau-yan, in an article published on Friday in Catholic newspaper the Sunday Examiner, also reminded readers that “to forgive is not to forget”, though he did not explicitly mention the June 4... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3264935/hong-kongs-top-catholic-priest-urges-forgiveness-harm-caused-tiananmen-square-crackdown-ahead?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3264935/hong-kongs-top-catholic-priest-urges-forgiveness-harm-caused-tiananmen-square-crackdown-ahead?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 May 2024 11:11:13 +0000 Chow Hang-tung, a former vice-chairwoman of the now-dissolved alliance behind Hong Kong’s Tiananmen Square vigil, was arrested on Tuesday in the first sedition case after the city’s domestic national security law was enacted two months ago. The activist was among six people detained for posting allegedly seditious content on a Facebook group in the run-up to the 35th anniversary of the Tiananmen crackdown. The Post profiles the activist, who has been detained since 2021 on charges associated... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3264475/who-hong-kongs-chow-hang-tung-former-cambridge-university-student-and-barrister-turned-political?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3264475/who-hong-kongs-chow-hang-tung-former-cambridge-university-student-and-barrister-turned-political?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 May 2024 15:12:17 +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 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 The Chinese embassy in Britain has strongly condemned what it calls the country’s “flagrant interference” in Hong Kong’s internal affairs after the son of jailed media tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying sought support from the British foreign secretary for his father’s release. The embassy on Tuesday slammed British Foreign Secretary David Cameron for meeting Lai’s son Sebastien Lai Sung-yan earlier in the day in London. Cameron said he wanted to “listen to his concerns for his father”. “The UK opposes... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3244919/chinese-embassy-condemns-uks-flagrant-interference-hong-kong-affairs-after-jailed-media-tycoon-jimmy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3244919/chinese-embassy-condemns-uks-flagrant-interference-hong-kong-affairs-after-jailed-media-tycoon-jimmy?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Dec 2023 07:16:58 +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 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 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 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 Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification. A recent phenomenon has got me contemplating employment, work-life balance and retirement: many millennials and self-proclaimed digital natives in my social circle have talked about aiming to... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3225095/early-retirement-young-people-should-search-their-fun-loving-souls?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3225095/early-retirement-young-people-should-search-their-fun-loving-souls?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Jun 2023 03:30:16 +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 A woman has been arrested and another 23 people have been taken away by Hong Kong police patrolling the area that previously hosted the June 4 candlelight vigil marking the Tiananmen Square crackdown in Beijing more than three decades ago. Security chief Chris Tang Ping-keung had earlier warned authorities would take “resolute action” against anyone threatening national security as the date approached, and hundreds of officers fanned out across Victoria Park and nearby streets in Causeway Bay on... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3222895/hong-kong-police-step-security-victoria-park-june-4-anniversary-former-vigil-organiser-goes-hunger?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3222895/hong-kong-police-step-security-victoria-park-june-4-anniversary-former-vigil-organiser-goes-hunger?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Jun 2023 06:53:35 +0000 The anniversary of the Tiananmen crackdown, 34 years ago on Sunday, carries special significance for many Hong Kong people. For almost 30 years, it was marked by a mass candlelit vigil attended by tens of thousands in Victoria Park. The event remembered those who died when the student-led protests were crushed on June 4, 1989. The vigil, peaceful and moving, was seen around the world as compelling evidence of Hong Kong’s enduring freedoms after the city’s return to China in 1997. But it has not... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3222865/greater-clarity-needed-how-legally-mark-june-4-anniversary?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3222865/greater-clarity-needed-how-legally-mark-june-4-anniversary?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Jun 2023 21:30:19 +0000 Hong Kong’s famous candlelight vigil to mark the anniversary of the Tiananmen crackdown last took place four years ago on Sunday. Tens of thousands gathered in Victoria Park, creating the familiar sea of twinkling candles. They chanted: “We will never forget.” The event had been held annually since 1990. But soon after the vigil in 2019, months of civil unrest began. Then, the pandemic descended. Beijing, responding to the anti-government protests, made transformative legal and political... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3222864/june-4-anniversary-remains-significant-many-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3222864/june-4-anniversary-remains-significant-many-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Jun 2023 21:00:09 +0000 Four protesters have been arrested on suspicion of disrupting public order and sedition near the park in downtown Hong Kong that previously hosted the June 4 anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown, as pro-Beijing groups staged a carnival on the grounds. Officers wearing bulletproof vests patrolled Victoria Park in Causeway Bay and nearby streets, while a Sabertooth armoured vehicle was stationed outside one of the entrances to the grounds on Saturday. Without confirming any details of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3222857/hong-kongs-victoria-park-full-food-and-booths-instead-candlelight-carnival-takes-over-venue-annual?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3222857/hong-kongs-victoria-park-full-food-and-booths-instead-candlelight-carnival-takes-over-venue-annual?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Jun 2023 12:57:28 +0000 Hong Kong police are planning to deploy as many as 5,000 officers over the weekend to guard against potential trouble and unauthorised gatherings to commemorate the 34th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown, the Post has learned. Sources familiar with police preparations said security would be ramped up around Victoria Park in Causeway Bay, where the annual candlelight vigil to mark the June 4, 1989 crackdown took place in past years. A force insider said officers would set up... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3222650/5000-hong-kong-police-officers-patrol-streets-guard-against-unauthorised-gatherings-anniversary?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3222650/5000-hong-kong-police-officers-patrol-streets-guard-against-unauthorised-gatherings-anniversary?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Jun 2023 14:22:37 +0000 A popular Hong Kong group purchase platform has revealed that a private screening of a documentary booked for June 4 has been cancelled, saying industry representatives advised the cinema to avoid public gatherings on the day marking the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown. Group purchasing platform AsOne said it regretted to tell everyone that the private screening of To be Continued, a documentary about an entertainment mogul, had been cancelled. “We have just received notice from... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3222648/purchase-platform-says-hong-kong-cinema-has-cancelled-private-documentary-screening-after-advice?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3222648/purchase-platform-says-hong-kong-cinema-has-cancelled-private-documentary-screening-after-advice?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Jun 2023 13:07:16 +0000 Hong Kong’s security chief has warned that authorities will take “resolute action” against anyone taking advantage of “a special occasion” to threaten national security as the 34th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown approaches on Sunday. The warning by Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung on Monday came as a pro-Beijing group denied that a carnival it was co-hosting this weekend at Victoria Park, where residents had gathered to mark June 4 in the past, was intended to block... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3222227/hong-kong-security-chief-warns-troublemakers-ahead-june-4-anniversary-pro-beijing-groups-deny?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3222227/hong-kong-security-chief-warns-troublemakers-ahead-june-4-anniversary-pro-beijing-groups-deny?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 May 2023 14:04:49 +0000 Hong Kong public libraries have pulled most books and documentaries about the Tiananmen Square crackdown from their shelves just weeks after they were asked by government auditors to step up efforts to root out works “manifestly contrary” to national security, the Post has found. Critics on Monday said the removal of books would damage the city’s reputation for openness. Simon Chu Fook-keung, a former acting director of the city government’s archives from 1999 to 2003, said censorship of books... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3220651/hong-kong-public-libraries-pull-most-books-related-tiananmen-square-crackdown-34th-anniversary?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3220651/hong-kong-public-libraries-pull-most-books-related-tiananmen-square-crackdown-34th-anniversary?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 May 2023 15:13:39 +0000 Hong Kong authorities have slammed a South Korean rights group for awarding a prize to jailed activist Chow Hang-tung, saying the move intended to “flagrantly glorify” illegal acts and interfere in the city’s affairs. The government also reiterated that Hong Kong upheld the rule of law and all offenders would be held responsible. The accusations were made after the May 18 Foundation, which is based in South Korea, reportedly ignored China’s opposition and chose Chow as the winner of this year’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3219992/hong-kong-slams-south-korean-rights-group-over-award-jailed-activist-says-move-intended-flagrantly?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3219992/hong-kong-slams-south-korean-rights-group-over-award-jailed-activist-says-move-intended-flagrantly?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 May 2023 15:38:52 +0000 Hong Kong’s security chief has brushed aside suggestions a police decision to confiscate a sculpture commemorating the victims of the Tiananmen Square crackdown was related to next month’s anniversary of the event. Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung on Saturday also stopped short of saying whether police would approve any events marking June 4, arguing the city still faced national security threats with “many people taking advantage of these occasions”. Appearing on a radio programme,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3219622/hong-kong-security-chief-says-seizure-pillar-shame-unrelated-coming-tiananmen-square-crackdown?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3219622/hong-kong-security-chief-says-seizure-pillar-shame-unrelated-coming-tiananmen-square-crackdown?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 May 2023 06:48:11 +0000 Hong Kong’s annual candlelight vigil commemorating the June 4 Tiananmen Square crackdown in Beijing is likely to be on hold for the fourth year in a row as part of the venue, Victoria Park, has been closed for renovations, while a pro-Beijing group has applied to host a sales event in the remaining area. A spokesman for the Leisure and Cultural Services Department told the Post on Tuesday night that the park’s six soccer pitches and central lawn – where the vigil was last officially held in 2019... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3219226/hong-kong-june-4-vigil-likely-be-hold-fourth-year-amid-park-renovations-pro-beijing-group-eyes-event?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3219226/hong-kong-june-4-vigil-likely-be-hold-fourth-year-amid-park-renovations-pro-beijing-group-eyes-event?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 May 2023 05:59:48 +0000 Freedom of association, assembly, procession and demonstration is protected by Hong Kong law and has been widely exercised since the city’s return to Chinese rule in 1997. Some mass gatherings drew hundreds of thousands of people. But most demonstrations were smaller scale. They covered a wide range of causes across the political spectrum, and the overwhelming majority were peaceful, lawful and orderly. The right to protest, however, was abused during civil unrest in 2019, when anti-government... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3213537/peaceful-protest-fabric-hong-kong-society?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3213537/peaceful-protest-fabric-hong-kong-society?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Mar 2023 23:45:10 +0000