For over 30 years, Hong Kong was home to the world’s largest public remembrance of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, where Chinese troops opened fire on pro-democracy protesters in Beijing. Since 1990, tens of thousands gathered annually in Victoria Park for a candlelight vigil organised by the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China (HK Alliance), keeping alive the memory of those who died.
But since the imposition of China’s National Security Law on Hong Kong in 2020, public mourning has been banned. The HK Alliance was forced to disband, and its key leaders — Albert Ho, Lee Cheuk-yan, and Chow Hang-tung — were arrested and charged with “inciting subversion of state power.” They have now been detained without trial for over 1,000 days. This year marks the sixth year without candlelight in Hong Kong — but many still refuse to forget.
From Remembrance to Repression
For decades, the HK Alliance stood as a powerful symbol of Hong Kong’s fight for democracy . But in 2021, police accused the group of acting as a “foreign agent” and demanded internal records from its leadership. When the leaders refused, five members — including barrister and activist Chow Hang-tung — were convicted under the National Security Law for not handing over the documents.
Chow, along with fellow members Tang Ngok-kwan and Tsui Hon-kwong, successfully appealed the conviction in 2024, marking a rare legal victory under the law. However, the three former leaders of the HK Alliance Chow, Ho, and Lee still face separate charges of “inciting subversion” — with their trial postponed to November 2024. Their trial was originally scheduled for May 2024 but has been postponed to November due to court delays. All three remain in custody — imprisoned for over three years without trial. Lee has now spent over 1,500 days behind bars.
Political Prisoners Behind Bars
The repression continues behind prison walls. In March 2023, Lee Cheuk-yan suffered a fall in Stanley Prison. His wife, Elizabeth Tang, was arrested under suspicion of “collusion with foreign forces” when she attempted to visit him. Albert Ho, now 74 and a former cancer patient, was denied bail and remains in detention. Chow Hang-tung has endured repeated solitary confinement — at least five times between June and October 2023, with two spells in July alone lasting 7 to 14 days each.
In May 2024, Chow was arrested again alongside six others. Authorities allege they posted “seditious” messages on a Facebook page shortly before a “sensitive date”. They were arrested under Hong Kong’s Safeguarding National Security Ordinance for “acts with seditious intent”.
A Global Vigil: The World Remembers
Although commemorations are no longer allowed in Hong Kong or mainland China, June 4 vigils and events will be held around the world.
In Toronto and Vancouver, a candlelight concert and march to the Chinese consulate and Tiananmen memorial will take place on 1 and 4 June. The UK has become a key centre for European remembrance — in addition to the annual gathering outside the Chinese embassy in London, various Hongkonger groups are organising events across cities..
In Japan, the national parliament (Diet) will hold a special session on 3 June to mark the 36th anniversary of the crackdown and the 15th anniversary of Liu Xiaobo — the late Nobel Peace Prize winner and Chinese dissident.
Taiwan, now the only place in the Chinese-speaking world where public mourning is still allowed, will host a photo exhibition and candlelight vigil at Liberty Square in Taipei.
Mourning is not a crime.
Free Lee Cheuk-yan, Chow Hang-tung and Albert Ho.
Restore the right to peaceful assembly and association.