Statement: Beijing's move to wipe out the memory of Tiananmen Square a blow to peaceful assembly

Historically, thousands of Hong Kongers have marked the June 4 anniversary with a vigil in Victoria Park. Last year, even in the face of a global pandemic and the refusal by the Hong Kong Government to grant a permit, Hong Kongers gathered in their thousands to pay tribute to the fallen.

The peaceful candlelit event was a sign of the value that Hong Kongers place on freedom, and showed that Hong Kong was a distinctive city, with meaningful autonomy from mainland China.    

But this year few Hong Kongers will have the ability to mark this occasion. With the jailing of pro-democracy activists for their attendance at last year’s vigil and the threat by Beijing that anyone in attendance will face up to five years in prison, it is clear that the Chinese Communist Party is set on wiping out the collective memory of the Tiananmen Square massacre in Hong Kong.

The ban on peaceful assembly is in clear breach of international human rights law, and in particular the right to peaceful assembly. 

To mark this occasion, Hong Kong Watch not only remembers the victims on the 32nd anniversary of the Tiananmen Massacre but pays tribute to all of the political prisoners in Hong Kong who have been jailed for the simple crime of campaigning and protesting for democracy. 

The Chinese Government should listen to the international community and commit to releasing all political prisoners in Hong Kong who have been unjustly imprisoned and recommit to upholding the Sino-British Joint Declaration and respecting Hong Kong's autonomy. Its repeated refusal to do so should result in co-ordinated, robust pressure from democracies around the world, including the imposition of targeted sanctions.