BEIJING -- China tightened access to Tiananmen Square in central Beijing on Sunday, the anniversary of the military suppression of 1989 pro-democracy protests that left a still-unknown number of people dead and discussions and commemorations forbidden within the country.
In Hong Kong, which had been the last Chinese-controlled territory to hold commemorations, eight people, including activists and artists, were detained on the eve of the anniversary of the crackdown, a move that underscored the city's shrinking room for freedom of expression. Police late Sunday said they arrested a woman for reportedly obstructing police officers in performing their duties and took 23 others away on suspicion of breaching public peace for further investigation. Many of them were detained by officers around Victoria Park.
The large public space with its lawns and sports grounds used to be the scene of an annual candlelight gathering to remember the hundreds or thousands killed when army tanks and infantry descended on central Beijing on the night of June 3 and into the morning of June 4, 1989.
Discussion of the seven weeks of student-led protests that attracted workers and artists and their violent resolution has long been suppressed in China. It also became increasingly off-limits in Hong Kong since a sweeping national security law was imposed in June 2020, effectively barring anyone from holding memorial events.
The death toll from the 1989 violence remains unknown and the Communist Party relentlessly harasses those at home or overseas who seek to keep the memory of the events alive.
In Beijing, additional security was seen around Tiananmen Square, which has long been ringed with security checks requiring those entering to show identification. People passing by foot or on bicycle on Changan Avenue running north of the square were also stopped and forced to show identification. Those with journalist visas in their passports were told they needed special permission to even approach the area.
Still, throngs of tourists were seen visiting the iconic site, with hundreds standing in line to enter the square.
While Hong Kong, a former British colony handed over to Chinese rule in 1997, uses colonial-era anti-sedition laws to crack down on dissent, the persistence of non-conforming voices "lays bare the futility of the authorities' attempts to enforce silence and obedience," Amnesty International said.
Despite the lifting of most covid-19 restrictions, the city's public commemoration this year was muted under a Beijing-imposed national security law that prosecuted or silenced many Hong Kong activists. Three leaders of the group that used to organize the vigil were charged with subversion under the law. The group was disbanded in 2021 after police informed it that it was under investigation for working on behalf of foreign groups, an accusation the group denied.
After the enactment of the security law following protests in 2019, Tiananmen-related visual spectacles, including statues at universities, were also removed. Most recently, books featuring the events have been pulled off public library shelves.
Asked whether it is legal to mourn the crackdown in public as an individual, Hong Kong leader John Lee said that if anyone breaks the law, "of course the police will have to take action."
Information for this article was contributed by Kanis Leung of The Associated Press.
People take photos to the imitation of Pillar of Shame during a candlelight vigil at Democracy Square in Taipei, Taiwan, Sunday, June 4, 2023, to mark the 34th anniversary of the Chinese military crackdown on the pro-democracy movement in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)
A view of Victoria Park, the city's venue for the annual 1989 Tiananmen massacre vigil, where a carnival organized by pro-Beijing groups to mark the city's 1997 handover to China has replaced scenes of people rallying for democracy on the 34th anniversary of China's Tiananmen Square crackdown in Hong Kong, Sunday, June 4 2023. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)
Chinese leader Xi Jinping is featured on a video promoting China at a trade fair organized by pro-Beijing groups in Victoria Park, on the 34th anniversary of China's Tiananmen Square crackdown in Hong Kong, Sunday, June 4, 2023. In Hong Kong, which had been the last Chinese-controlled territory to hold commemorations, several people, including activists and artists, were detained on the eve of the 34th anniversary of the crackdown, a move underscording the citys shrinking room for freedom of expression. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)(AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)
A member of the public is escorted by police after shining the light from a smartphone, near Victoria Park, the city's venue for the annual 1989 Tiananmen massacre vigil, on the 34th anniversary of China's Tiananmen Square crackdown in Hong Kong, Sunday, June 4 2023. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)
People leave messages during a candlelight vigil at Democracy Square in Taipei, Taiwan, Sunday, June 4, 2023, to mark the 34th anniversary of the Chinese military crackdown on the pro-democracy movement in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)
Hundreds of participants attend a candlelight vigil at Democracy Square in Taipei, Taiwan, Sunday, June 4, 2023, to mark the 34th anniversary of the Chinese military crackdown on the pro-democracy movement in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)
In this two photo combination image, at left thousands of people attend the annual candlelight vigil in Hong Kong's Victoria Park, June 4, 2019 to mark the anniversary of the military crackdown on the 1989 pro-democracy student movement in Beijing, and right shows the same venue taken over by a carnival organized by pro-Beijing groups to mark the city's 1997 handover to China on the 34th anniversary of the crackdown, June 4, 2023. (AP Photo)
In this two photo combination image, at top thousands of people attend the annual candlelight vigil in Hong Kong's Victoria Park, June 4, 2019 to mark the anniversary of the military crackdown on the 1989 pro-democracy student movement in Beijing, and bottom shows the same venue taken over by a carnival organized by pro-Beijing groups to mark the city's 1997 handover to China on the 34th anniversary of the crackdown, June 4, 2023. (AP Photo)
Hundreds of participants attend a candlelight vigil at Democracy Square in Taipei, Taiwan, Sunday, June 4, 2023, to mark the 34th anniversary of the Chinese military crackdown on the pro-democracy movement in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)Gallery: World marks Tiananmen anniversary
